Five-Colour Agaricus Mushroom and Pork Rib Soup

Why people make this soup

When a loved one is going through cancer treatment, the instinct to do something — anything — through food is powerful and deeply human. Nourilo understands this well. One of the most important things he emphasises is that balanced, whole nutrition matters enormously for people facing cancer: not eating enough, or restricting too heavily out of fear, can undermine treatment and recovery. This soup embodies that philosophy. It uses five different-coloured ingredients — a concept from Chinese food therapy in which each colour is thought to nourish a different organ system — and includes agaricus blazei mushroom (ji song rong), a golden-coloured mushroom from Brazil that has attracted considerable research interest for its potential immune-supporting properties. The soup is delicious and genuinely nutritious, suitable for the whole family.

Method

1. Rinse the agaricus mushrooms briefly, then soak in fresh water until soft. Reserve the soaking water.
2. Peel and cut the yam and carrot into chunks. Wash and roughly chop the cabbage. Rinse and soak the black beans.
3. Blanch the pork ribs in boiling water for a few minutes, then drain and rinse.
4. Place all ingredients — including the mushroom soaking water — in a large pot with 2.4–2.7 L of water (about 1.6 to 1.8 litres).
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 1.5 hours until 1.2–1.5 L of soup remain.
6. Serve the soup and eat the solid ingredients together.

Nourilo’s Tips

The golden soaking water from the agaricus mushrooms carries a good amount of the beneficial compounds — do not discard it. Add it directly to the pot when making the soup. In Chinese cancer wellness tradition, certain “trigger foods” (fa wu) are generally avoided: bamboo shoots, rooster, pork neck and jowl meat, scaleless fish, lamb, shrimp, crab, cigarettes and alcohol are commonly mentioned. High-fat foods like chicken skin and rich pork are also best minimised. That said, do not cut back so drastically that nutrition suffers — adequate protein and overall caloric intake remain essential during treatment.