Recipe: Ching Bo Leung Soup
Probably the most revered Cantonese herbal soup there is
A nice, warm bowl of Ching Bo Leung. Source: Singtao California.
Herbal Soup with Chicken/Pork (Ching Bo Leung, 清補涼)
Of all the soups my mom has made over the years, this one’s probably the most well-known, and it’s not even close.
Every cook in southern China probably has her own spin on the classic Ching Bo Leung, and even though its ingredients may vary from household the soup’s emphasis on texture and cooling effects is as quintessentially Chinese as they come.
Most of the dried ingredients in this recipe, from the lotus seeds to seeds of Job’s Tears, pack a pretty nice crunch, and while they may be immensely beneficial for your health I don't think anyone should feel tied to the ingredients list.
For me, as long as you’ve got the carrots and meat (or vegetable broth), and maybe a couple starchy items like potatoes or yam, you’re good.
That being said I do strongly encourage you to buy at least a few of these ingredients, if only because you can use them interchangeably in almost every Chinese slow-simmered soup (and they’re now much easier to find online).
*For a more in-depth explanation of each of the dried Chinese ingredients, stay tuned to my Substack.
Ching Bo Leung
Ingredients (serves 3-4 people, takes about 3 hours, prep time 10 mins.):
- 1 whole Chicken leg/drumstick
-2 lbs. pork bone meat
-4 to 5 cups of water (enough to comfortably submerge all of the ingredients)
Take your pick of the following:
-1 tbs goji berry/Chinese wolfberry (gouqi, 枸杞)
-1 tbs white lotus seed (lianzi, 蓮子)
-1 tbs seed of Job’s tears (yimi, 苡米 )
- 1 tbs seed of fox nut/gorgon (qianshi, 芡實)
-1 tbs dried longan (longyan gan, 龍眼乾)
-couple large chunks of chinese yam, nagamo in Japanese (shanyao, 山藥)
-1 whole carrot
-1 tbs ginger *optional
-one or two honey dates (mizao, 蜜枣)
Rinse the chicken and pork in cold water and then boil them in a pot of water on high heat for a couple minutes, just until all the blood and raw bits have dissipated.
If you’re using the Chinese dried ingredients, rinse them lightly and then leave them submerged in water for several minutes.
Peel the carrot and chop it into bit-sized chunks. If you’re using ginger chop off a small piece, smack it with a knife and rinse it with water (you can leave the skin on).
Place all of the above ingredients into a large pot, and then submerge them with 3-5 cups of water.
Turn the heat on high and leave it there until the water starts boiling.
Once it’s thoroughly boiling then the heat to low and then simmer for about two-three hours, until all of the dried ingredients are cooked.
If any point you find that a considerable amount of water has evaporated, just pour more water into the pot.
Once the soup’s ready, feel free to take out some of the solid ingredients and serve them separately (that’s what my mom often does). I love dipping them in soy sauce!