Soups
Prosperity Soup with Dried Oyster, Black Moss and Soybean
Traditionally used to strengthen the spleen, support the kidney and nourish the heart
Why people make this soup
Around the Lunar New Year, Hong Kong families love dishes with auspicious names. Dried oyster (hao chi) and black moss (fa cai) together sound like “prosperity and good business,” so almost every household keeps some on hand. Bro Niu found some plump, golden dried oysters and good-quality black moss, and simmered them with soybean, conpoy and red dates into a fragrant, richly savoury soup — festive in meaning, and traditionally taken to support the kidney, nourish the spleen and stomach, and benefit the heart and circulation.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits those wanting a warming, nourishing festive soup to support the spleen, kidney and heart.
- This soup is high in iodine — those with an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) should not eat much of it.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Dried oyster (jin hao): Traditionally used to nourish yin and blood and support the body.
- Black moss (fa cai): Festive ingredient; light and traditionally used to clear and nourish.
- Dried scallop / conpoy (yao zhu): Traditionally used to nourish yin and support the kidney and stomach.
- Soybean (huang dou): Traditionally used to strengthen the spleen and provide wholesome protein.
- Red date (hong zao) and ginger (sheng jiang): Traditionally used to warm the middle and nourish blood.
Ingredients (4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Golden dried oysters | 4 | Soaked and rinsed |
| Black moss | 1 small pinch | See method |
| Dried scallops (conpoy) | 4–5 | Soaked soft (keep the water) |
| Soybeans | ~75 g (2 liang) | Soaked soft |
| Red dates | 8 | Pitted |
| Fresh ginger | 3 slices |
Method
- Soak and rinse the dried oysters. Soak the black moss in clean water 15 minutes, toss with a little oil, then rinse and set aside.
- Soak the soybeans and conpoy until soft (reserve the soaking water); pit the red dates.
- Using 6 bowls of water plus the conpoy soaking water, simmer the oysters, soybeans, conpoy, ginger and red dates for 45 minutes.
- Add the black moss and simmer another 15 minutes. Serve, eating the soup and ingredients together.
Bro Niu’s tips
This is really a “meal-in-a-bowl” soup, full of deep ocean sweetness, and the ingredients themselves are good to eat. Because it is high in iodine, those with an overactive thyroid should not eat much.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (Granny Li): I’m in my seventies, my knees often ache and have some cell overgrowth, possibly fluid; strangely in cold weather (11–16°C) they don’t swell or hurt, but they ache before the weather changes, and in warm weather they get hot and swollen. I also have mild stomach intestinal metaplasia. What should I do? Bro Niu: Day to day, eat less preserved food, sausage, ham, organ meats and high-sugar food to reduce inflammation. Eat more berries (blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, mulberry), broccoli, apple, salmon and turmeric — these are anti-inflammatory foods. You can simmer 6 stalks lemongrass, 1 green apple and 6 slices turmeric in 5 bowls of water down to 2, taken over a day, for 4 doses; if it helps, rest 3 days then repeat.
- Q (Ada): Happy New Year. This month my period was very heavy and I’ve been very busy and exhausted — what soup do you suggest? Bro Niu: You can use motherwort (yi mu cao) 5 qian (or 2 liang fresh), dang shen 3 qian, 1 black wood-ear and a suitable amount of brown sugar, simmered in 4 bowls of water down to 1, 2–3 times a week until you feel better.
Published February 13, 2026 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.
