Astragalus and red date beef shin soup with choi sum
Beef shin simmered for two hours with astragalus and red dates into a clear, faintly sweet soup; slice the beef to eat with soy sauce, alongside stir-fried choi sum.
- 2 hr 45 min
- Serves 3
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Qi-deficient people tire easily, get breathless and speak without strength, and as Bailu's mornings and evenings cool, those with weak spleen and lung qi catch colds easily. Astragalus is the classic qi tonic that also firms the body's surface, beef shin builds qi and blood, and red dates nourish blood. Slow-simmered into a clear soup, it restores energy gently without being heating.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 150 min- 1Put the whole beef shin in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and blanch for 5 minutes, then rinse. Rinse the astragalus and red dates, stone the dates, and soak the tangerine peel and scrape off the pith.
- 2Bring the water to the boil, add the beef, astragalus, red dates, ginger and tangerine peel, boil hard for 20 minutes, then simmer over a low heat for 2 hours.
- 3Add the goji berries 10 minutes before the end and season with salt. Lift out the beef, let it cool slightly, slice against the grain and serve with the soy sauce for dipping.
- 4Heat the oil, fry the chopped garlic until fragrant, then stir-fry the choi sum over a high heat until just cooked, season with a pinch of salt and serve with the soup.
Cautions
- Astragalus is warming and tonifying, so skip this when you have a cold, fever, sore throat or a thick yellow tongue coating.
Chef's tips
- Simmer the beef shin whole so it holds together and slice it afterwards; dipping the soup meat in soy sauce is an old Hong Kong habit — don't let it go to waste.
The TCM view
Astragalus is sweet and slightly warm, entering the spleen and lungs, boosting qi, raising the yang and firming the surface — the Bencao Gangmu calls it 'the chief of tonics'. Beef is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and stomach and building qi, blood and sinew; red dates tonify the middle and nourish blood; goji berries nourish the liver and kidneys; tangerine peel keeps the tonics moving.
