Soups
Lemongrass, Ginger and Green Apple Soup
Traditionally dispels wind and supports the joints and circulation
Why people make this soup
In Southeast Asia lemongrass is both brewed as tea and cooked into dishes — it carries a lemony fragrance, which is why it is also called lemon grass. It is traditionally associated with supporting digestion, easing fatigue and dispelling “head wind.” Fresh lemongrass is the most fragrant of all in soups and dishes. The weather is cold today, so I picked up a box of lemongrass and a few green apples and put them on with ginger and rock sugar — a fragrant pot traditionally taken to warm the stomach, dispel cold, move the channels and ease cold-related headaches and stomach discomfort.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits young and old, and is especially valued by those with knee cartilage wear or migraine.
- Not suited to those with yin-deficiency heat.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Lemongrass (xiang mao): Traditionally associated with supporting digestion, easing fatigue and dispelling wind; the leaves were even used to boil water for new mothers to wash with, to dispel wind and ease the joints.
- Ginger (sheng jiang): Warms the stomach and helps dispel cold.
- Green apple (qing ping guo): Adds a pleasant tartness and natural sweetness to the pot.
Ingredients (3 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lemongrass | 12 stalks | rinsed, thinly sliced |
| Green apples | 3 | scrubbed with salt, cored, sliced |
| Ginger | 6 slices | |
| Rock sugar | to taste |
Method
- Rinse the lemongrass and slice thinly. Scrub the green apples with salt to remove any residue, then core and slice.
- Put the lemongrass, ginger and green apple into 6 bowls of water and boil for half an hour until reduced to 3 bowls.
- Add rock sugar, stir to dissolve, and serve.
Bro Niu’s tips
This soup is fragrant and tasty and suits young and old, and is especially good for those with knee cartilage wear or migraine. But it is not suited to those with yin-deficiency heat.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (mayluk): Isn’t 12 stalks of lemongrass too much? Bro Niu: For a family-sized pot you do need 12 stalks — they are the short little ones from the supermarket.
- Q (Catherine Lin): My 95-year-old mother has cold feet and leg swelling (which goes down after sleep), with pain below the knee; what food therapy can help? Bro Niu: Try mei dou (2 taels), garlic (6–7 cloves), peanuts (1 tael) and 3 ginger slices in a chicken-foot soup; it helps reduce lower-leg swelling. But watch for cardiovascular issues — if the swelling is severe, see a doctor.
- Q (pine): I broke a toe bone; any soup or food therapy to help it heal faster? Bro Niu: You can cook a river-crab congee to help move the blood, and also stew some tian qi, fish maw and chicken soup to help recovery along.
Published December 17, 2023 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
