Lotus Root, Octopus & Bean Soup

Why people make this soup

I picked up some Yunnan chicken-beans and flower-waist beans — wholesome, tasty beans — and simmered them with lotus root and octopus into a fragrant, full-bodied soup where you can happily eat the solids too. These beans are rich in protein, B vitamins, minerals and trace elements, and in food tradition they pair beautifully with lotus root and octopus to nourish qi and blood. It is an old favourite for new mothers feeling depleted, and for anyone run-down and pale.