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.

Method

1. Blanch the pork shin to clean it.
2. Soak the beans and tangerine peel in clean water until soft. Wash the burdock and cut into chunks.
3. Put everything in a pot with 2.4 L of water.
4. Simmer about 2 hours until reduced to 1.2 L. Eat the soup together with the ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

Beans easily cause gas in the gut. Soaking them in clean water for a few hours first, then cooking with a piece of aged tangerine peel, helps cut down on bloating.