Five-Colour Bean and Burdock Soup

Why people make this soup

Nourilo picked up a bag of five-colour kidney beans at the food expo — pretty patterned beans that are lovely in soup, congee or sweet desserts. There’s an old Chinese saying that “the five colours enter the five organs,” so he paired the colourful beans with fresh burdock root and dried figs over pork shin for a soup traditionally said to nourish the whole body, support the complexion and soothe the throat.