Flower Shiitake, Bamboo Fungus and Carrot Soup

Why people make this soup

When the weather warms up, many of us start eyeing the padding that crept on over the cooler months. Nourilo offers this soup as a light, tasty way to help along: it is traditionally said to help clear dietary richness and support weight, blood pressure and cholesterol, with bamboo fungus in particular favoured for the belly. It tastes wonderful and the whole family can share the pot.

Method

1. Soak the shiitake and bamboo fungus in clean water; remove the stems and trim the “skirt” off the bamboo fungus.
2. Rinse the cabbage and cut into chunks. Peel the carrot and cut into thick slices. Slice the pork.
3. Put everything in a pot, add water (about 8 bowls for a family pot), and simmer about 1 hour.
4. Serve the soup together with the ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup is delicious and suits young and old. For a family pot, use about 2.4 L of water reduced to 1.2–1.5 L. If you tend to be damp or eat a lot of cabbage, swap in green radish, which works just as well. For gout, replace the mushrooms with black wood-ear fungus, which is lower in purines.