Pseudostellaria, Amomum, Tangerine Peel and Red Date Soup

Why people make this soup

Nourilo here. Hong Kong life is busy and tense, so plenty of folks deal with a touchy stomach — especially the kind that feels like stagnant qi: a dull ache, frequent burping, a sour feeling that eases a bit after the burp. People like this often eat less, feel tired and weak, and get a queasy, reflux-y feeling. In the traditional view, a weak spleen needs gentle qi support while stagnant qi needs to be kept moving, and this pseudostellaria, amomum, tangerine peel and red date soup is traditionally used for exactly that.

A note on the star ingredient: pseudostellaria (tai zi shen) is not a true ginseng — it is sometimes called “children’s ginseng” because it is so gentle that even children can use it. It is milder than ginseng or codonopsis, but its mildness is the point, and it is traditionally considered suitable even for people with high blood pressure.