Minor Snow · Tea break · Balanced
Walnut sweet soup with red dates
A silky, lightly sweet Cantonese walnut soup with red dates — warming, kidney-nourishing comfort for a cool Minor Snow afternoon.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
WarmingWarms kidneys & lungsMoistens the gut
Why it suits you: Balanced constitutions simply follow the season. As Minor Snow turns colder, walnuts warm the kidneys and lungs; blended with red dates and rice into a smooth, lightly sweet soup, it warms you up without filling you up.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min- 1Rinse the rice and soak it for 1 hour (or overnight). Pit and dice the red dates.
- 2Toast the walnuts in a dry wok over low heat for 3–4 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant, then let them cool.
- 3Blend the walnuts and drained rice with 500 ml of the water until completely smooth.
- 4Pour into a pot with the remaining 300 ml water and the dates. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring, until thickened, then stir in the rock sugar until dissolved.
- 5Drink it hot, or pour it into a flask for an office tea break.
Cautions
- Walnuts are a tree nut — avoid this if you have a nut allergy.
Chef's tips
- Soak the walnuts in boiling water for 5 minutes before toasting to take away some of the bitterness of the skins.
- For an extra-silky soup, pass it through a sieve. It keeps 2 days in the fridge; add a splash of water when reheating.
The TCM view
Walnuts are sweet and warm; they strengthen the kidneys, warm the lungs and moisten the intestines. Red dates are sweet and warm and build qi and blood. Rice is sweet and neutral and settles digestion, keeping the soup smooth and easy to digest; a little rock sugar moistens. Warming without drying — in step with Minor Snow's 'warm yang, nourish the kidneys'.
