Black-eyed bean, peanut and chicken feet soup
A classic slow-cooked Cantonese soup: black-eyed beans and peanuts simmered with chicken feet and lean pork until the broth is sweet and silky — gently restoring after a tiring day.
- 2 hr
- Serves 4
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: At Start of Summer heat and humidity mingle, and a Qi-deficient constitution easily feels heavy, drained and off its food. Black-eyed beans strengthen the spleen and resolve damp, peanuts nourish the spleen and blood and chicken feet add body; this slow-cooked soup restores gently without heating, and a bowl after a long workday is just the thing.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 105 min- 1Rinse the black-eyed beans and peanuts and soak them in water for 2 hours (set them soaking before you leave in the morning).
- 2Clip the claws off the chicken feet. Put them in a pan of cold water with the pork, bring to the boil and blanch for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse.
- 3Bring the water to the boil, add everything except the salt, boil hard for 15 minutes, then simmer over low heat for 1½ hours.
- 4Season with salt just before serving.
Cautions
- Peanuts are oily, so if your digestion is weak or you have gallbladder trouble, drink the broth and leave most of the solids; skip this soup if you're allergic to peanuts.
Chef's tips
- Soaking the beans and peanuts first helps them soften and makes them less likely to cause bloating; blanching the chicken feet keeps the soup clear.
The TCM view
Black-eyed beans are sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen, settling the stomach and resolving damp. Peanuts are sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen, moistening the lungs and nourishing blood. Chicken feet are rich in collagen and help nourish sinew and bone, and pork shin is sweet, salty and neutral, nourishing yin and building strength. Tangerine peel moves qi so the soup nourishes without clogging, while candied dates moisten and sweeten. A gentle tonic for qi and blood — suited to Qi deficiency.
