Coconut Ball, Apple and Lean Pork Soup

Why people make this soup

The throat is the first line the body’s defences have to hold when airborne viruses are circulating. Nourilo points out that while gargling with salt water (at a high concentration, not the mild rinse most people use) genuinely does help kill surface bacteria — it is worth making it a daily habit when illness is going around — you can also support your throat from the inside with what you eat. This soup is built around the Indian coconut ball (a small, solid coconut without internal liquid), which brings an unusually rich, aromatic quality to the broth and is traditionally associated with moistening the lungs, dissolving phlegm, and building overall physical strength. Paired with apple and carrot — both valued for their antioxidant contribution and their neutral, broadly beneficial nature — this is a soup the entire family can enjoy all year round, not just when illness is circulating.