Chrysanthemum and pork liver rice noodle soup
Around Chung Yeung, chrysanthemums are at their best: dried flowers and goji berries make a fragrant clear broth for tender pork liver and rice noodles — cooling but not cold.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-heat types have oily skin, a bitter taste, dry or red eyes and are prone to spots, and Hanlu's dry weather stokes liver fire. Chrysanthemum, the flower of Chung Yeung, clears liver heat and brightens the eyes; pork liver nourishes liver blood and goji berries benefit the eyes. This light soup cools without being too cold, leaving the mouth fresher and eyes more comfortable.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 10 min- 1Slice the liver thinly and soak in water for 15 minutes, changing it twice, then drain and mix with the soy sauce, cornflour and sesame oil.
- 2Give the chrysanthemums a quick rinse. Cook the rice noodles in boiling water and lift into bowls.
- 3Bring the stock and water to the boil, add the ginger, goji berries and chrysanthemums and simmer for 3 minutes, then add the choi sum for 1 minute.
- 4Add the liver and simmer for about 1 minute until just cooked, then turn off the heat. Season with salt and pour over the noodles.
Cautions
- Liver is high in cholesterol and vitamin A, so once or twice a week is plenty and pregnant women should limit it; chrysanthemum is slightly cold, so go easy on the soup if your digestion is weak.
Chef's tips
- Soaking the liver and changing the water removes any strong taste; turn off the heat as soon as it returns to the boil and let the residual heat finish it. Choose whole, fragrant hang bak chrysanthemums.
The TCM view
Chrysanthemum is sweet, bitter and slightly cold, entering the lungs and liver, dispersing wind-heat, clearing the liver and brightening the eyes — the Shennong Bencao Jing ranks it a superior herb that 'benefits blood and qi with long use'. Pork liver is sweet, bitter and warm, nourishing liver blood and the eyes; goji berries nourish the liver and kidneys; choi sum clears heat and settles the middle.
