Shiitake Mushroom, Soybean, Red-Skin Peanut and Hairy Gourd Soup

Why people make this soup

Nourilo has often noticed that older East Asian women tend to have smoother, less wrinkled skin than their Western counterparts at the same age — and believes this may be partly due to diet. Soybeans, peanuts, and shiitake mushrooms are staples of Cantonese home cooking, and their collective nutritional richness is remarkable: polysaccharides that support the immune system and liver, phytoestrogens and isoflavones that support skin health, plant-based iron for blood building. The red skin of the peanuts is especially valued — it contains condensed tannins and polyphenols associated with supporting platelet function and nourishing the blood.

Hairy gourd (jie gua), a mild, lightly sweet squash used throughout Cantonese cooking, brings a cooling, water-regulating quality that balances the richness of the legumes and mushrooms. This is a straightforward vegetarian soup — beautifully flavoured without any meat — and easy enough to become a weekday staple.