Soups
Apple and Mixed-Vegetable Soup
Traditionally used to balance the body and support uric-acid clearance
Why people make this soup
Apples are an alkaline fruit, rich in potassium and free of purines, which makes them a friendly food for people prone to gout — traditionally said to help reduce uric-acid build-up and support its clearance. Simmered with carrot, celery, wood-ear and water chestnut, this clean, sweet pot is also associated with calming the liver and supporting healthy blood pressure and lipids — handy for gout-prone folks who also watch their cholesterol or pressure.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits gout-prone people and those who also watch blood pressure or cholesterol; gentle enough for the whole family to enjoy.
- If you run cold, add 2 slices of ginger. You can add lean pork for a heartier nourishing soup.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Apple (ping guo): alkaline, purine-free and potassium-rich; traditionally associated with supporting uric-acid clearance.
- Celery (qin cai): traditionally associated with calming the liver and supporting blood pressure; Chinese celery is considered stronger than Western.
- Black wood-ear (hei mu er): traditionally associated with supporting clean blood and lipids.
- Water chestnut & carrot (ma ti, gan sun): add clean sweetness; carrot is rich in pectin.
Ingredients (4–5 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apples | 2 | Cored, cut into chunks |
| Black wood-ear | 2 pieces | Soaked, stems removed |
| Chinese celery | ~150 g (4 taels) | Cut into segments; Western celery is milder |
| Water chestnuts | 6 | Peeled (or add an extra carrot instead) |
| Carrot | 1 | Peeled, cut into chunks |
Method
- Rinse the apples, core and cut into chunks; soak the wood-ear and remove stems; rinse and segment the celery; peel and chunk the water chestnuts and carrot.
- Put everything in a pot with 8 bowls of water and simmer about 1 hour, down to 4–5 bowls.
- Eat the soup with the solids.
Bro Niu’s tips
This soup is clean and sweet — the whole family can drink it. As an everyday wellness soup you can add lean pork, giving it a nourishing, beautifying, lightening quality. If you want to keep it as a strained tea in the fridge, always strain out the solids first — wood-ear left soaking in the soup too long changes chemically and is best not consumed.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (乐乐 / reader): If my constitution is cold and damp, can I drink this? Bro Niu: Yes — for a cold constitution just add 2 slices of ginger.
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Q (Zenzen): Without water chestnut, what can I substitute? With no gout, can I drink it often? Is it too cooling? Bro Niu: Skip the water chestnut and add one more carrot. Even without gout you can drink it often — it helps balance the body’s acid-alkaline level.
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Q (JC): Can this be made without pork and kept in the fridge as a daily tea, since I have high uric acid and high blood pressure? Bro Niu: Yes, this vegetarian soup can be strained and kept in the fridge as a tea. Be sure to strain out the solids, because wood-ear soaked in the soup too long changes chemically and is not good for you.
Published September 11, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.
