Wheat Grain, Black Bean, Lotus Seed and Nan Jujube Soup

Why people make this soup

Sleep trouble is one of the most common city complaints — trouble falling asleep, light sleep that wakes at the smallest sound, or waking early and not being able to drift off again. Over time it leaves you frazzled, foggy and off your food. In food-therapy terms, wheat grain is seen as a food that “settles the heart,” and Nourilo pairs it here with black soybeans, lotus seeds and sweet nan jujube. The combination is traditionally used for that restless, anxious kind of sleeplessness tied to “the heart and kidneys not communicating,” and it makes a mild, comforting bowl.

Method

1. Rinse and soak the wheat grain, black soybeans, lotus seeds and nan jujube.
2. Add 2.4 L of water and simmer about 2 hours, reducing to 0.9–1.2 L.
3. Stir in rock sugar until dissolved. Eat the ingredients along with the soup.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup is meant to support both the heart and kidneys. If your sleeplessness comes with night sweats, you can swap the wheat grain for “floating wheat” (fu xiao mai), which Chinese herb shops sell.