I browsed through a magazine at Borders last week, that featured burdock and carrot in a soup. I’d never thought of this combination before, so I decided to try it! Its really really easy which suits me quite well.
Burdock is an edible root that the Chinese will know as “wai san”. I always have a problem with preparing wai san because when I peel the skin off, my hands will start to itch. It is not just a surface itch, but one that really penetrates deep into the skin and is pure torture! Its not just me, my whole family is that way so we abandoned eating this root after a while. Too bad really because it is supposed to be very nutritous, having the consistency of a potato but with more nutrients. I got around it eventually by wearing thick rubber gloves. I must wash the gloves thoroughly after that though to rid it of any trace of the juice or skin, else if it gets my skin, torture!
I improvised the recipe further by adding some of my favourite Chinese herbs to the soup to make it even more nutritous seeing as I was feeling under the weather. Here’s my easy peasy recipe for Burdock and Carrot soup.
You Need:
- About 6 inches of medium thickness burdock root (“wai san”) peeled and sliced into chunks
- 2 medium sized carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- 200g of pork ribs
- 8 dried red dates
- A handful of wolfberries (Kei Chi)
- A handful of yok chok (thin strips of Fragrant Solomonseal Rhizome or Polygonatum Odoratum)
How to:
- Put the pork ribs into a pot of water (just enough to cover the meat) and boil until you see the scum float to the surface. Pour away the water. This is to ensure the soup is clear and not murky.
- Add 1 litre of water into the pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the boil.
- When it boils, turn down the heat and allow it to simmer for at least 1-1.5 hours.
- Serve immediately by itself or over blanched noodles.
The taste of the herbs is very subtle as you don’t use much. Red Dates and Kei Chi add sweetness as do the carrots so the soup is very sweet. I enjoy it best with noodles but it can also be taken by itself or as part of a meal as most Chinese families do. For me, this is the perfect one dish meal.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I love Chinese soup recipes such as this – simple, delicious & nutritious. Thanks for the info about the itch… I’ll be sure to wear disposable gloves if I handle this veg!
Wai san has the most delicious texture. Thanks for this recipe. I am in New York, missing my Chinese soups. I will try this.