Celery and shredded chicken soba noodle soup
Chicken breast poached with ginger and shredded, then served in its broth with celery and buckwheat soba — light, clean and resolving damp without weighing you down.
- 35 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Phlegm-damp types feel heavy and bloat easily, and Major Heat's humidity brings a heavy head, a sticky mouth and no appetite. Buckwheat whets the appetite and clears stagnation, celery clears heat and drains water, and lean chicken breast supports the spleen. Simmered with tangerine peel and ginger to move qi and resolve damp, it's light and satisfying without sitting heavy.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min- 1Bring the water to the boil with the ginger and tangerine peel, add the chicken breast and poach over a low heat for 12 minutes until cooked. Lift out, cool slightly and shred; keep the broth.
- 2Wash the celery and cut into 3 cm lengths.
- 3Cook the soba in a separate pan of boiling water for 4 minutes, rinse briefly under warm water and divide between bowls.
- 4Bring the broth back to the boil, blanch the celery for 1 minute and season with salt and soy sauce. Pour over the noodles and top with the chicken.
Cautions
- Buckwheat is cool, so don't overdo it if your digestion is weak or you get loose stools; avoid it if you are allergic to buckwheat.
Chef's tips
- Gentle poaching keeps chicken breast tender; choose soba with a high buckwheat content for more nutrients and fibre.
The TCM view
Buckwheat is sweet and cool, opening the appetite and clearing accumulation — the Bencao Gangmu says it 'sends qi downward, eases the intestines and grinds away stagnation'. Celery is sweet, pungent and cool, calming the liver, clearing heat and draining damp; chicken is sweet and warm, boosting qi and strengthening the spleen; tangerine peel and ginger move qi and dry damp. Cool and warm in balance, it clears damp without harming the spleen.
