Dried Cabbage, Carrot and Preserved Duck Kidney Soup

Why people make this soup

A lingering sweet sensation in the mouth — not from eating something sweet — is something many people experience without thinking much of it. In traditional Chinese medicine, this is associated with the spleen and digestive system. When the digestive system is out of balance, amylase levels in saliva can rise and stimulate the taste receptors on the tongue, creating that odd, mild sweetness. TCM further distinguishes between a “deficiency heat” pattern (fatigue, poor appetite, low energy) and an “excess heat” pattern (strong thirst, yellow urine, constipation). This soup is aimed at the excess heat type, using dried cabbage and preserved duck kidney to gently clear heat and support smooth digestion.

Method

1. Soak the dried cabbage in cold water for about 20 minutes to rehydrate; rinse well and cut into sections.
2. Peel and chop the carrot into large chunks.
3. Soak the preserved duck kidneys in water for about 20 minutes, then blanch briefly in boiling water to reduce excess salt and any strong smell.
4. Place all ingredients together in a pot with 2.1 L of water.
5. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a medium-low simmer for 1.5 hours until about 1.2 L of liquid remain.
6. Serve warm. The soup is delicious eaten together with the cooked ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

This is a naturally fragrant, lightly savoury soup that the whole family can enjoy — children included. Beyond the sweet-taste complaint it targets, it is also a good everyday soup for anyone who feels internal heat, has mild throat dryness, or tends to have sluggish bowels. The organic dried cabbage, when properly soaked and rinsed, gives the broth a wonderfully clean, slightly grassy sweetness. Organic varieties are preferred because dried cabbage concentrates whatever was on the original leaves. This recipe makes 3 to 4 servings.