Codonopsis, Chestnut and Muscovy Duck Soup

Why people make this soup

Chestnuts are one of Nourilo’s favourite ingredients — sweet, soft, slightly floury, and deeply satisfying in soups. There are many varieties: the common board chestnut (ban li), the Guilin variety suited to braising, and occasional oversized novelty types. In Chinese food therapy, chestnuts are considered warm-natured, and particularly valued for supporting the stomach, spleen, kidneys, and tendons. Their richness in B vitamins, including riboflavin, makes them a traditional go-to for people prone to mouth ulcers or sores on the tongue. Combined here with codonopsis — a gentle, qi-building root — and the lean, yin-nourishing Muscovy duck, this soup achieves a lovely balance: warming enough to strengthen, yet not so hot as to aggravate sensitive constitutions.

Method

1. Rinse and briefly soak the codonopsis, then drain.
2. Score the chestnuts and drop into boiling water for 1–2 minutes; remove and peel off both the hard outer shell and the papery inner skin.
3. Pit the red dates.
4. Blanch the duck pieces in a pot of boiling water for 2–3 minutes; discard the water and rinse the duck.
5. Place all ingredients in a pot with 2.4–2.7 L of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
6. Cook for 1.5 hours until the chestnuts are soft and the soup is fragrant.
7. Serve with the duck meat and chestnuts — eat the solid ingredients along with the soup for maximum benefit.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup is naturally sweet and rich in aroma — a genuine crowd-pleaser. Muscovy duck is a good choice because it is leaner and more cooling than farmed duck. If you cannot source Muscovy duck, black-boned chicken (wu ji) works beautifully — choose a small, properly dark-skinned bird for the best quality.