Purple Yam, Fresh Lily Bulb and Red Date Black Chicken Soup (Zi Huai Shan Bai He Wu Ji Tang)

Why people make this soup

Purple yam is not the easiest ingredient to source, but it is well worth seeking out at specialty Asian grocers or organic food stores. It looks like an ordinary Chinese yam on the outside but reveals a striking purple flesh inside, packed with anthocyanins that give it antioxidant properties beyond what the common white-fleshed variety offers. Traditional food therapy calls it “purple ginseng” (zi ren shen), a nickname that reflects how highly it is regarded for overall wellness support.

Combined with fresh lily bulb — which is moistening, calming, and lung-supportive — and the deeply nourishing silkie chicken (a breed with dark skin and bones, prized in Chinese cooking for its gentle tonic properties), this is a soup that manages to be both genuinely beautiful to serve and meaningfully nourishing to drink.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Well suited for the whole family, including the elderly, children (in smaller portions), and those with a weak digestion — this is a warming, neither hot nor cold, formula.
• Particularly beneficial for those wanting to support skin health, promote a more even complexion, and boost overall resilience.
• Do not serve during active fever or when suffering from an acute infection / external pathogen (gan mao) — wait until fully recovered first.
• Note for purple yam: the sticky mucilage in the raw yam may cause skin irritation during peeling. Wear rubber gloves when handling raw purple or white yam.

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Purple yam (zi huai shan): Contains the same qi-regulating, immune-modulating, and blood-sugar-supporting properties as white Chinese yam, but with the added benefit of high anthocyanin content from the purple pigment — associated with antioxidant activity, eye support, and anti-ageing effects on the skin.
• Fresh lily bulb (xian bai he): Moistening, slightly cooling, and calming. Supports lung qi and is traditionally used to ease dry skin, restless sleep, and mild anxiety. Fresh bulbs have a more delicate flavour than the dried form.
• Red dates (hong zao): Tonify qi and blood, add natural sweetness, and balance the slightly cooling nature of the lily bulb.
• Silkie chicken (wu ji): The standard base for nourishing tonic soups in Cantonese cooking. Its dark meat and bones are considered more deeply nourishing than ordinary chicken, and it produces a rich, flavourful broth without being heavy or oily.

Ingredients (3–4 bowls)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Purple yam	~150 g (4 liang)	Peel with gloves on; cut into chunks
Fresh lily bulb	1 packet	Separate petals and rinse
Red dates	6 pieces	Pit removed, rinse
Fresh ginger	3 slices
Silkie chicken	1 whole bird	Rinse, chop into pieces, blanch
Water	Enough to cover (~6–8 bowls)
Salt	To taste

Method

1. Blanch the silkie chicken pieces in cold water, bring to a boil, drain, and rinse under cool water to remove impurities.
2. Peel the purple yam wearing rubber gloves (the raw mucilage can irritate skin). Cut into large chunks.
3. Separate the fresh lily bulb into individual petals and rinse under cool water. Pit the red dates and rinse.
4. Place all ingredients — chicken, purple yam, red dates, ginger — into a pot. Add enough water to cover (about 6–8 bowls).
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low-medium heat for about 2 hours.
6. Add the fresh lily bulb petals in the final 10 minutes. Season with salt and serve the soup and all the solids together.

Bro Niu’s tips

Do not rinse the raw yam under running water — its sticky mucilage is considered part of what makes it therapeutically valuable for supporting blood vessel and connective tissue health. Simply peel it and cut it directly. Wear rubber gloves because the raw mucilage can cause itching on sensitive skin. Fresh lily bulb has a lovely, clean flavour quite different from the dried version — add it only in the final 10 minutes to preserve its texture and delicate taste.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (ocean0970): Can I use Japanese white-fleshed yam instead of purple yam? Can I also add shiitake mushrooms? Bro Niu: White-fleshed yam works fine as a substitute. Adding shiitake mushrooms will make the flavour even better.

• Q (Kate): My husband has been having trouble sleeping lately and struggles to fall asleep. Sleeping pills make it hard for him to wake up for work in the morning. Is there a food-therapy soup that might help? Bro Niu: Before sleep, try giving him 10 pieces of longan (yuan rou), 1 liang (30 g) of fresh lily bulb, simmered in 3 bowls of water reduced to 1 bowl. Eat the lily bulb and drink the soup about 2 hours before bed. This has a heart-calming, mind-settling effect. Try for 3 consecutive evenings and see if things improve.

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Published June 24, 2015 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.