Shiitake, Sea Cucumber and Silkie Chicken Soup

This soup is described as suitable for those with high blood pressure or diabetes, and for people who are constitutionally weak or managing cardiovascular risk factors. It is prepared in the style of Chinese food-therapy to nourish yin and support blood health as part of a balanced diet.

Sea cucumber is noted as cholesterol-free and, in Chinese food-therapy tradition, iodine-rich seafoods like sea cucumber are traditionally believed to discourage calcium from depositing in artery walls. The recipe also notes that quality sea cucumber should shrink slightly after blanching and hold its shape during cooking; sea cucumber that stays the same size may have been treated with chemical agents that can irritate the stomach lining.

Silkie chicken is a variety prized in Chinese wellness culture for its particularly yin-nourishing qualities, making it well suited to this soup's purpose of nourishing yin and supporting those who are physically weak or managing cardiovascular risk.

The recipe requires about 30 minutes of preparation and approximately 2 hours of simmering, for a total time of around 2 hours 30 minutes. It yields one pot of roughly 0.9 to 1.2 litres.

The recipe suggests that fresh burdock root (150 g) makes a useful substitute and is itself associated with stroke prevention in Chinese food-therapy. Shiitake and sea cucumber alone in broth, without the chicken, is also described as perfectly suitable if a chicken-free version is preferred.