Soybean Sprout, Tomato and Lean Pork Soup

Why people make this soup

Hong Kong’s warm, humid climate means skin warts are not uncommon — the virus that causes them spreads more easily when skin immunity is low, especially in older adults. Soybean sprouts are easy to overlook as an everyday vegetable, but they are nutritionally rich: packed with B vitamins (including B2), minerals, and plant compounds associated in traditional food therapy with anti-fatigue effects, clearing heat, reducing gum bleeding, supporting eye clarity, and lowering cholesterol. The B2 content is particularly relevant here — it has been traditionally linked to keeping skin healthy and helping to slow the spread of certain skin viruses.

When paired with tomatoes — rich in lycopene, associated with slowing pigmentation and age-related cellular changes — this becomes a genuinely useful everyday soup. It is light, slightly tangy, and deeply appetising. Regular consumption is traditionally said to support overall skin tone and clarity.

Method

1. Remove the roots from the soybean sprouts (the tips, not the whole root). Rinse well.
2. Peel the tomatoes: score a cross on the bottom, dip briefly in boiling water, then peel away the skin. Cut into chunks.
3. Slice the lean pork, blanch briefly in boiling water to remove the scum, then drain and rinse.
4. Combine all ingredients in a pot with 2.4 L of water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 1.5 hours until the soup reduces to about 1.2 L.
6. Serve hot; eat the soup and all the solid ingredients together.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup is refreshing and appetite-stimulating — a gentle, pleasant everyday preparation. If you want to use it to target existing warts, Nourilo suggests a topical approach as well: mix coix seed powder (yi ren fen) with a little water and honey into a thin paste, apply to the affected area once daily, leave for 15 minutes, then rinse off. Patience is needed, but it can help. For faster results, liquid nitrogen treatment at a dermatology clinic is the most effective option. Important note: always buy soybean sprouts with their roots on — rootless sprouts are sometimes treated with herbicide to prevent root growth, and that substance is potentially carcinogenic.