Black Bean, Wheat and Pigeon Soup

Why people make this soup

Waking up damp with sweat — or finding children’s pyjamas soaked through every morning — is a complaint that traditional Chinese medicine places firmly in the category of deficiency. Whether it is a young child’s constitution not yet fully settled, or a woman in midlife whose hormonal balance is shifting, the pattern of “heat leaking out” at night is one that food therapy has long approached with ingredients that gently tonify qi and consolidate the body’s natural ability to hold fluids in place. This warming, subtly savory soup of black soybeans, wheat grain, red dates, and pigeon has been used for generations in this way. It is mild in flavor, not cloying, and suitable for regular drinking over several days.

Method

1. Rinse the black soybeans, wheat grain (or floating wheat), and pitted red dates in clean water.
2. Clean the pigeon, cut into large pieces, and blanch in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Drain and rinse.
3. Combine all ingredients in a pot with 2.4 L of water.
4. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer for 2 hours.
5. Serve warm. The whole family can drink this soup.

Nourilo’s Tips

Floating wheat (fu xiao mai) is the immature, unripe grain of wheat — it is lighter and floats on water, hence the name. It is more effective for stopping both day sweats and night sweats than regular wheat grain, and it is available from Chinese herb shops. For children, halve all quantities. If you cannot find pigeon, lean pork works perfectly well. You can also increase the red dates to just 4–6 and cook without any meat at all, serving it as a tea instead. For those living abroad who cannot find squab pigeon, organic chicken breast or Chinese silkie chicken (half a bird) are good alternatives. North American readers: squab pigeon is available at many Asian butchers.