Mulberry, Goji Berry, Baby Abalone & Chicken Breast Soup

Why people make this soup

After middle age, health has a tendency to decline quietly — and many people push through long working days on a screen, staring at phone and computer until their eyes ache and their minds feel dull. Mulberries (sang shen) and goji berries (gou qi zi) are two of the most widely used food-therapy ingredients for eye support in Chinese tradition; together they are classically used to ease eye dryness, reduce visual fatigue, and nourish the liver-blood that underpins healthy eyesight. Abalone — called “the fish of bright eyes” (ming mu yu) in Chinese tradition — is particularly valued for people who experience frequent nocturia, declining vision, and qi-blood weakness. Nourilo built this soup around these three vision-supporting ingredients and kept the protein source light (chicken breast), making it gentle enough for those who are “too deficient to receive tonics” — people whose bodies are so depleted that rich, heavy supplements feel overwhelming.

Method

1. Rinse and soak the mulberries and goji berries briefly. Pit the jujube dates.
2. Clean the baby abalone: scrub the flesh and the shell (if using the shell) carefully.
3. Blanch the abalone and chicken breast together in boiling water briefly, then drain and rinse.
4. Place all ingredients in a pot with 2.4 L of water.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1.5 hours.
6. Serve warm, eating the abalone, chicken, and jujube alongside the soup.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup can be cooked with the baby abalone shells included — the shell is known in Chinese medicine as “shi jue ming” and is associated with clearing liver heat, calming the liver, and supporting eye and blood pressure conditions. However, fresh small abalone shells can harbour parasites, so they must be thoroughly scraped and scrubbed before being added to the pot.