Watercress and duck rice noodle soup
In-season winter watercress simmered with duck slices and tofu, then poured over rice noodles — a clear, sweet broth that moistens the lungs and nourishes yin in the dry cold.
- 40 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Major Snow is dry, and a Yin-deficient constitution easily gets a dry throat, a dry cough, dry itchy skin and hot palms and soles. Watercress, in season in winter, clears dryness and moistens the lungs; duck nourishes yin and the stomach and tofu clears heat and moistens — a noodle soup that is moistening without being cold.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min- 1Trim excess fat from the duck, slice thinly and marinate with the soy sauce and a pinch of salt for 10 minutes. Wash and cut the watercress, and cube the tofu.
- 2Soak the rice vermicelli in boiling water for 5 minutes until soft, drain and divide between bowls.
- 3Bring the water and ginger to the boil, add the watercress stems and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the leaves and tofu and simmer for 3 minutes.
- 4Add the duck and cook for 2 minutes until just done. Season with salt, ladle over the noodles and drizzle with a little sesame oil.
Cautions
- Watercress is cold: eat less if your digestion runs cold, you have loose stools or are on your period. Always cook it thoroughly.
Chef's tips
- Choose watercress with small, deep green leaves and short stems; it is sweetest in winter.
The TCM view
Watercress is sweet, slightly bitter and cold, clearing dryness, moistening the lungs, transforming phlegm and easing coughs. Duck is sweet, salty and slightly cool, nourishing yin and the stomach; tofu is sweet and cool, clearing heat, moistening dryness and generating fluids, and a little ginger settles the stomach and tempers the coolness. Together they nourish yin, moisten dryness and clear the lungs — suited to Yin deficiency in a dry winter.
