Soups
Kudzu, Mung Bean and Job's Tears Soup
Traditionally used to clear summer heat and support clearer, acne-prone skin
Why people make this soup
In hot, busy weather Bro Niu finds many people get tight or aching shoulders, necks and back muscles, and outdoor workers especially feel sticky with oily sweat. A cooling pot of kudzu soup is a comforting way to settle things down. Kudzu root is traditionally associated with relaxing the nerves and muscles, calming the mood, and easing heat in the stomach while quenching thirst. Paired with mung beans and Job’s tears — both linked to clearing heat — it is a friendly bowl for those troubled by heat-type skin problems and breakouts.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Anyone wanting a cooling summer soup, especially those with heat-type skin trouble, acne, or a feeling of heat and fullness in the chest and stomach.
- The soup is cooling. People with a cold constitution can add a piece of dried tangerine peel (guo pi), which is warming, to balance it.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Kudzu root (fen ge): traditionally used to relax muscles and nerves, calm the mind, and ease stomach heat while generating fluids.
- Mung beans (lü dou): classically associated with clearing heat.
- Job’s tears (yi mi): traditionally used to strengthen the spleen and drain dampness, and valued for its association with brighter skin.
- Honey dates (mi zao): add gentle natural sweetness and round out the flavour.
Ingredients (4–5 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kudzu root | ~600 g (1 catty) | Peel and cut into chunks |
| Mung beans | ~40 g (1 liang) | Rinse and soak |
| Job’s tears | ~40 g (1 liang) | Rinse and soak |
| Honey dates | 2 | |
| Pork bones | ~450 g (12 liang) | Blanch first |
Method
- Blanch the pork bones to remove scum.
- Peel the kudzu root and cut into chunks.
- Rinse and soak the mung beans and Job’s tears.
- Put everything in a pot with 10 bowls of water and simmer about 3 hours down to 4–5 bowls. Drink the soup and eat the ingredients.
Bro Niu’s tips
This soup is clean and naturally sweet. Besides supporting acne-prone skin, it traditionally suits those with high blood pressure or diabetes, and those who feel heat, fullness or a stuffy ache in the chest and stomach. Cooked an hour and a half or longer, kudzu is no longer strongly cooling; a piece of warming dried tangerine peel can be added.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (Hi): I have red marks left behind by acne — how can I fade them? Bro Niu: Mix Job’s tears powder (yi ren fen) with honey and a little water into a paste, apply to the marks, massage gently, and rinse after 15–20 minutes, once a day. It takes patience, but it is traditionally used to fade marks and brighten skin.
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Q (Frd / reader): I’m a student with lots of acne and blackheads and oily skin — what soup suits me? Bro Niu: You can use raw rehmannia (sheng di) ~18 g, mung beans ~40 g, Job’s tears ~40 g and 6 red dates with a young pigeon, simmer 8 bowls of water for 2 hours down to 4 bowls; drink over 2 days, 2 batches a week. It is traditionally used to support clearer skin.
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Q (anonymous reader): My 6-year-old gets red, itchy heat rash in hot weather — is this soup or a similar one suitable for children? Bro Niu: Kudzu is cooling, but after about an hour and a half of cooking it is much gentler, and you can add warming dried tangerine peel. For the heat rash, a mung bean and stinky-herb (chou cao) sweet soup, one bowl a day for 3 days, is traditionally used to ease it.
Published July 30, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.
