Cold Dew · Breakfast · Qi Deficiency
Taro & beef rice vermicelli soup
Soft, floury taro and tender beef slices in a hot clear broth with rice vermicelli — warming, filling and easy to digest.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Quick soup
- Easy
NeutralBuilds qiWarms digestion
Why it suits you: Qi Deficiency means tiring easily and a weak appetite. Taro and beef both build qi and support digestion, and as Cold Dew mornings turn cooler, a hot bowl of noodle soup warms the stomach and keeps you going.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min- 1Soak the vermicelli in warm water until soft. Marinate the beef with the soy sauce, cornflour and a splash of water for 5 minutes (or the night before).
- 2Bring the stock and ginger to the boil, add the taro and cook over medium heat for 12 minutes until floury.
- 3Add the vermicelli for 1 minute, then the beef; turn off the heat as soon as it changes colour and scatter over the spring onion.
Chef's tips
- Dice and steam the taro the night before and it needs only 5 minutes in the morning.
- Raw taro sap can make your hands itch, so wear gloves to peel it.
The TCM view
Taro is sweet, pungent and neutral and strengthens the spleen; beef is sweet and neutral to warm and builds qi and blood; ginger is pungent and warm and warms the stomach. A soupy noodle breakfast is easy to digest — nourishing without heaviness.
