Five-Color Vegetable Soup

The recipe draws on the traditional Chinese food therapy principle that green nourishes the liver, red nourishes the heart, yellow nourishes the spleen, white nourishes the lungs, and black nourishes the kidneys. By including one vegetable of each color, the soup covers a wide nutritional spectrum in a single pot — an approach the recipe notes aligns with the fact that different-colored vegetables contain different vitamins and minerals.

Preparation takes 15 minutes, and the soup simmers for 1 hour, for a total time of 75 minutes. Starting with 1.8 L of water, it reduces down to a yield of roughly 0.9 to 1.2 L.

The recipe notes that cucumber (or green radish) may inhibit certain vitamins in the carrot, though in practice the effect is described as minor with no adverse reaction. To maximize benefit, the recipe suggests swapping the cucumber for another green vegetable such as winter melon.

Yes — the soup is vegetarian as written. The recipe suggests vegetarians can add a handful of black beans or kidney beans to reduce the soup's mild cooling nature and add protein. If cooking with lean pork, the recipe says to add it at the beginning along with everything else.

The recipe describes it as an everyday family soup especially valued by those managing weight, blood pressure, or blood sugar, as part of a balanced diet. It is noted as naturally sweet and pleasant, making it a practical way to help reluctant vegetable-eaters consume more vegetables.