Green Olive, Green Radish, Water Chestnut & Pork Shin Soup

Why people make this soup

This soup brings together some of the most familiar ingredients in a Cantonese health kitchen, each with its own traditional role. Green olive is a southern Chinese specialty that can be eaten fresh or preserved as a dried fruit snack. In cooking, it is traditionally valued for relieving sore throats, generating saliva, and clearing the effects of alcohol or fish toxins. Green radish, a close relative of the more common white radish, is traditionally used for households that rely on gas stoves for cooking — its properties are associated with helping the body process any residual combustion gases absorbed through daily exposure. Water chestnut is crunchy and naturally sweet, believed to promote fluid production and cool excess heat; when combined with fig, which is high in calcium, the two together are thought to support healthy bone development in children. The result is a clean, slightly sweet, refreshing broth that the whole family can enjoy.

Method

1. Rinse green olives and gently press or tap each one to crack them slightly — this helps release their flavour into the broth.
2. Peel water chestnuts and leave whole (or halve if large).
3. Peel green radish and cut into chunks.
4. Rinse dried figs; cut pork shin into cubes and blanch in boiling water for 2–3 minutes, drain and rinse.
5. Place all ingredients into a pot with 3 L of water.
6. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for about 1.5 hours.
7. Serve warm — drink the broth and enjoy the soup ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

This is a genuinely practical everyday soup for families. It helps soothe inflamed throats, and the combination of water chestnut and fig supports healthy bone development in growing children — a bonus for parents looking for ways to increase calcium and mineral intake naturally. One important reminder: because this soup contains radish, avoid drinking any qi-tonifying herbal teas or taking supplements like ginseng on the same day. You can add Chinese yam or euryale seeds to this soup without any issue. If cooking for pregnancy, the soup is safe throughout.