Ginger Scallion Mustard Greens Soup

Why people make this soup

Mustard greens are often misunderstood as a cooling vegetable, but in traditional food therapy, they are actually pungent and warming — traditionally associated with warming the interior, promoting the flow of qi, clearing phlegm from the lungs, and relieving the kind of full-body heaviness that comes with a cold. When you feel the first signs of a wind-cold illness — that sudden chill, a blocked nose, the dull ache in your neck and limbs, a cough building in the chest — this simple, affordable soup can offer real comfort. The ginger warms and disperses cold; the scallion white parts help release the surface and encourage perspiration; and the mustard greens contribute to clearing the airways and easing chest tightness. The whole soup comes together in under 30 minutes and uses only things you might already have at home.