Chicken Bone Grass and Wormwood Pork Rib Soup

Why people make this soup

In traditional Chinese wellness thinking, the liver and gallbladder do their most important cleansing work between 11 pm and 3 am — which is one reason staying up very late night after night is considered hard on those organs. Chicken bone grass (ji gu cao) and wormwood (mian yin chen) are two herbs long used in Cantonese cooking to support the liver and gallbladder, ease damp-heat, and help with the kind of dull rib-side discomfort or fatigue people associate with sluggish digestion. Modern studies have also shown both herbs to have notable liver-protective properties. Nourilo pairs them with pork ribs and honey dates to round out the flavour and make the soup approachable for the whole family.

Method

1. Rinse and soak the chicken bone grass and wormwood in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain.
2. Soak the soybeans for at least 30 minutes and drain.
3. Blanch the pork ribs in boiling water for 2–3 minutes, drain, and rinse.
4. Place all ingredients in a pot with 2.7–3 L of water.
5. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a medium-low simmer for 2 hours until the liquid reduces to 1.2–1.5 L.
6. Serve the soup and ingredients together.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup has a light, pleasant herbal fragrance without a heavy medicinal taste — even children can enjoy it. It is also traditionally considered helpful for people with breast inflammation or general stomach discomfort. If wormwood (mian yin chen) is unavailable, you can substitute half a luo han guo (monk fruit) and omit the honey dates.