Watercress & Pork Lung Soup

Why people make this soup

Watercress is a seasonal vegetable of autumn and winter, traditionally associated with clearing heat and moistening dryness; simmered with honey dates it is a classic for cooling lung and stomach heat. Many home cooks pair watercress with snakehead fish or with fresh and dried duck gizzard for a rich, savory soup. Nourilo spotted nicely cleaned pork lung at the butcher at a good price, so he pairs it with watercress here, traditionally valued to clear heat, moisten dryness, and clear accumulated lung-and-stomach heat.

Method

1. Wash the watercress. Clean the pork lung thoroughly, cut into pieces and blanch; blanch the lean pork; soak the tangerine peel soft.
2. Put the pork lung, ginger, dried figs, tangerine peel and lean pork in a pot with about 3 L of water and bring to a rolling boil.
3. Add the watercress, then simmer on medium-low heat about 3 hours. Serve with the ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

The watercress must go in only once the water is boiling, otherwise the soup turns bitter-astringent. This soup is traditionally favored by those with lung heat or dryness and a cough with yellow phlegm.