Kudzu Root, Adzuki Bean, Flat Bean and Big Fish Head Soup

Why people make this soup

Kudzu root is one of the workhorses of Cantonese home cooking — it shows up in winter soups for dryness and summer soups for heat, and it is one of those ingredients that homemakers reach for almost instinctively. In this recipe, it takes centre stage for a specific purpose: addressing the kind of chronic, tension-related headache and neck stiffness that comes with long working hours, sustained stress, and too much time hunched over a screen or desk. Research has identified isoflavone compounds in kudzu that may help dilate blood vessels and improve microcirculation — which in practical terms translates to greater blood flow to the head and neck, and some relief from the tight, pressurised feeling that many desk workers know all too well.