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.

Method

1. Peel the lotus root and cut into chunks; blanch the pork shin; soak and rinse the remaining ingredients.
2. Put everything into a clay pot with 2.4 L of water.
3. Simmer until reduced to 1.2–1.5 L. Eat the soup with the solids.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup nourishes qi and blood and tastes wonderful — the whole family can drink it. But people with stubborn eczema or itchy skin should skip the octopus and use dried conch, dried scallop or conch heads instead. If anyone has G6PD, leave out the two Yunnan beans (they look too much like fava beans) and use peanuts in their place.