Yacon, Water Chestnut & Pork Rib Soup

Why people make this soup

After Chinese New Year, the dining table is a parade of rich foods — fish maw, sea cucumber, braised pork, roasted meats. Delicious as they are, that kind of feasting can leave your gut feeling slow and heavy. Nourilo turns to this simple trio — yacon, water chestnut, and pork ribs — as a gentle way to get things moving again. The soup is naturally sweet, light, and easy on the stomach, making it a go-to for the whole household in those post-holiday days.

Yacon is a South American tuber with a crisp, juicy texture that behaves a bit like a super-hydrating apple in the soup. Traditional food-therapy credits it with flushing the intestines and clearing heat toxins. Water chestnut, a Chinese cooking staple, has long been associated with clearing body heat and supporting the body’s ability to flush out impurities. Research on water chestnuts suggests they contain compounds with antimicrobial properties. Together with a handful of apricot kernels (traditionally thought to support lung and bowel function), the soup is both nourishing and cleansing.

Method

1. Blanch the pork ribs: place in cold water, bring to a boil, drain, and rinse. Set aside.
2. Peel the yacon and cut into large chunks.
3. Trim the top and tail off the water chestnuts; leave the middle band of skin on and rinse well. (The skin contains beneficial compounds.)
4. Rinse the apricot kernels.
5. Combine all ingredients in a pot with 2.4 L of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until the liquid reduces to about 1.2 L.
6. Serve the soup with some of the cooked ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup is naturally sweet and mild — children love it. It is also considered particularly helpful for people with high blood pressure. That said, those with a cold or sensitive stomach constitution should not drink it every day — perhaps 2–3 times a week after a rich-food period is plenty.