Xue Geng Tang (Jellyfish and Water-Chestnut Soup)

Why people make this soup

Some people, after a cold, keep coughing for a good long stretch. In the traditional view, a long cough can wear on the “lung yin,” leaving a dry cough with short, sharp bursts, scant sticky phlegm, a parched throat and a tired, drained feeling. This two-ingredient soup — jellyfish and water chestnut — is a classic, gentle pairing traditionally used to moisten the lungs and bring back some moisture for exactly that dry, depleted state.

Method

1. Soak the jellyfish in water to remove the salt (ready-to-eat jellyfish needs only a brief rinse), then chop.
2. Peel and rinse the water chestnuts and chop.
3. Put both into a pot with 1.2 L of water and simmer down to 600 ml. Serve.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup also has a good blood-pressure-settling reputation in tradition, and is well suited to middle-aged and older people with high blood pressure who get headaches, lots of phlegm, constipation, or a dry, bitter mouth.