Radish, Corn, Celery, Seaweed and Grass Carp Tail Soup

Why people make this soup

After a stretch of festive meals — roasted meats, fatty braised dishes, rich sauces — many people find themselves feeling heavy, slow, and bloated. This is Nourilo’s go-to reset soup: a naturally sweet, clear broth that uses every ingredient for a purpose. White radish is a staple of Cantonese cleansing soups, valued for its ability to support digestion and help clear accumulated heat in the stomach. Carrot adds a gentle sweetness and supports circulation. Celery brings liver-calming and blood pressure-supporting qualities to the pot. Dried seaweed (sargassum, the loose, dark-green variety sold at Chinese supermarkets) contributes its traditional role in dispersing fat and fluid retention. The grass carp tail provides a light, clean protein base without making the broth heavy.

Method

1. Peel the white radish and carrot, cut into bite-sized chunks. Rinse the celery and cut into sections.
2. Remove the husk from the corn and cut into 4–5 sections.
3. Rinse the dried seaweed briefly.
4. Clean the grass carp tail. Heat a little oil in the pot and pan-fry the fish tail until lightly golden on both sides — this removes the fishy smell and adds flavour to the broth.
5. Add all ingredients to the pot with 2.1 L of water.
6. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a medium-low simmer and cook for 1 hour.
7. Serve the soup with the vegetables and fish tail together.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup is clear, sweet, and easy to drink. It works well when you have over-indulged in meat or fried foods and notice a sluggish appetite, a dull or bloated feeling, or mild heat signs (warm face, dry nose). Seaweed (hai zao) is available at larger Chinese supermarkets; some herbal shops also stock it. Note that this ingredient is Sargassum-type seaweed — a loose, strand-style dried seaweed — not the flat nori sheets used in Japanese cooking.