The Health Benefits of Chinese Soup Ingredients

Chinese cuisine is incredibly diverse - varying dishes and recipes are popular in different regions, with a range of ingredients used across the country. However, one thing remains consistent throughout China, and this is the philosophy around food as medicine.

Traditionally, Chinese cuisine has been focused on health and ensuring you are putting a good balance of food into your body, with yin and yang as a central concept to Chinese cooking.

Soups play a big role in this philosophy of healthy eating; various soups are often enjoyed as cures for numerous illnesses and have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries.

The ingredients that go into traditional Chinese soups are packed with nutritional goodness and have numerous health benefits, from nourishing the body and soul to boosting your immune system!

Here, we take a look at some of the best ingredients used in Chinese soups and explore their various health benefits. If you’d like to have a go at making authentic Chinese soups at home, take a look at our Oriental supermarket which has everything you need to get started.

The Health Benefits of Chinese Herbal Soups

When feeling ill or run down, many stand by the healing properties of healing herbal soups! What kind of health benefits can you expect from a traditional soup?

• Boosts the immune system
• Fights fatigue and boosts energy
• Improves digestion and circulation
• Reduces stress
• Strengthens and nourishes the body
• Detoxifies the body
• Restores yin and yang

Depending on the combination of ingredients, some soups are also designed to fight against particular ailments such as colds or the flu.

Ingredients in Chinese Soups

As with a lot of Southeast Asian cuisines, Chinese cooking focuses on wholesome, natural ingredients. Most soups will contain some kind of lean meat or fish along with a selection of fresh veggies and herbs, making them naturally low in fat and sodium.

Chicken

Many cultures have embraced the powers of a hearty bowl of chicken soup over the years. For many, it is a soup designed to give comfort when suffering from a cold.

Chinese chicken soup recipes will often combine this much-loved ingredient with a combination of herbs to boost its healing effect. Common additions to chicken soups are Chinese yam, ginseng, red dates, Solomon’s seal, goji berries and cordyceps.

Double-boiled chicken and jasmine soup is also said to strengthen the mind and eyesight!

Fresh Vegetables

Vegetables contain a wealth of vitamins and other vital nutrients that are great for our bodies. They are also essential ingredients in many Chinese soup recipes as they’re used to bulk out broth and add mouth-watering flavours and textures.

Eating a healthy diet often comes down to ensuring you are getting a good balance of different foods, especially vegetables filled with antioxidants that help your body feel and function at its best.

Popular health-boosting vegetables often used in Chinese soups include:

• Chinese yams/ Chinese potato
• Gourds
• Pak choi
• Napa cabbage
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Mushrooms
• Beans
• Watercress

These kinds of veggies will add fibre, calcium and Vitamin C to your soups which are all great for general health and the digestive system.

Ginger

Ginger is added to many Chinese dishes, including stir-fries, soups and sauces, to give some heat and aromatic depth to a recipe.

It is an important ingredient in many soups and is much-loved for both its distinctive flavour and various health benefits.

Ginger is well known for reducing the effects of nausea and alleviating cold symptoms. It may also help with joint pain and brain function - the potential benefits of ginger are almost endless!

Goji Berries

For many of us, berries might not be one of the first ingredients we think to add to our soups, but goji berries are a go-to ingredient for Chinese herbal soups.

These dried red berries, also known as wolfberries, have been enjoyed for generations and are often praised as a super-food because of their many health benefits.

Adding goji berries to your soups is thought to enhance your vision, boost your kidney and liver function and benefit your immune system.

Ginseng and Codonopsis

Ginseng is a root thought to improve and restore well-being. You’ll often find it as an addition to various soups or drinks thanks to its wide range of health benefits.

Boosts to energy and focus levels, anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing effects and reduced blood sugar have all been linked to the consumption of ginseng.

Codonopsis is another Chinese root often used as a substitute for ginseng due to its similar properties and benefits.

Solomon’s Seal

Another herb we don’t often find in the West, this plant from the lily family is often combined with chicken or pork soups. The herb itself is dried and sliced into long strips.

Solomon’s Seal is thought to be good for the lungs and stomach. It is also eaten to restore your body’s balance, nourishing the yin.

Dried Citrus Peel

Traditionally, dried mandarin or tangerine peels have been added to soups to help combat sore throats. This makes the peel an excellent addition to comforting chicken soups when you're dealing with a cold or cough.

The fruit peel is also thought to have a warming property, helping to restore the body to a balance of yin and yang.

Red Dates

These dried dates give bursts of sweetness and chewy texture to soups. Again, they make popular additions for warming chicken soups or other veggie concoctions.

They are thought to boost lung and liver health while also calming the nervous system and strengthening the immune system. Along with these benefits, red dates are another brilliant source of Vitamin C and other vitamins.

It should be noted that although these ingredients can be used to make tasty, potentially health-boosting soups, they should not be considered as a cure-all for more serious illnesses.

Which is your go-to ingredient when looking to make a super-healthy dish?

Next time you feel a sore throat coming on, why not try one of these ingredients to experience its beneficial properties for yourself?

Here at Oriental Mart, you’ll find a wide range of seasoning sachets, herbs and authentic ingredients to help you make delicious, healthy Chinese soups at home!