Soups
Five-Colour Bean and Burdock Soup
Traditionally nourishes the five organs and supports the complexion and throat
Why people make this soup
Bro Niu picked up a bag of five-colour kidney beans at the food expo — pretty patterned beans that are lovely in soup, congee or sweet desserts. There’s an old Chinese saying that “the five colours enter the five organs,” so he paired the colourful beans with fresh burdock root and dried figs over pork shin for a soup traditionally said to nourish the whole body, support the complexion and soothe the throat.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Anyone wanting a wholesome, everyday family soup; traditionally associated with nourishing the five organs and supporting the complexion and throat.
- Beans can cause gas — soaking them well first and adding tangerine peel helps (see tips).
- A balanced family soup; treat it as food, not as treatment for any condition.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Five-colour kidney beans (wu se yun dou): Mostly large white kidney bean, “chicken-wrap” bean, dark-brown kidney bean, red kidney bean and speckled bean (per Bro Niu), mainly from the Yunnan region. The five colours echo the “five organs” idea. If you can’t find them, any mix of differently coloured beans works.
- Fresh burdock root (niu bang): Traditionally valued as a wholesome, nourishing root.
- Dried figs (wu hua guo): Naturally sweet, traditionally used to soothe the throat and support digestion.
- Aged tangerine peel (chen pi): Adds aroma and traditionally helps reduce bloating from beans.
- Pork shin (zhu zhan): A lean cut that gives a clean, savoury broth.
Ingredients (4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Five-colour kidney beans | ~113 g (3 taels) | Soak in water until soft |
| Fresh burdock root | 1 | Wash, cut into chunks |
| Dried figs | 3 | |
| Aged tangerine peel | 1 piece | Soak with the beans |
| Pork shin | 1 piece | Blanch |
Method
- Blanch the pork shin to clean it.
- Soak the beans and tangerine peel in clean water until soft. Wash the burdock and cut into chunks.
- Put everything in a pot with 8 bowls of water.
- Simmer about 2 hours until reduced to 4 bowls. Eat the soup together with the ingredients.
Bro Niu’s tips
Beans easily cause gas in the gut. Soaking them in clean water for a few hours first, then cooking with a piece of aged tangerine peel, helps cut down on bloating.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (sylvan): Could you tell me which beans are in the five-colour mix? Bro Niu: Mainly large white kidney bean, “chicken-wrap” bean, dark-brown kidney bean, red kidney bean and speckled bean — mostly grown around the Yunnan region.
-
Q (sylvan): I can’t buy those beans here in the United States. Bro Niu: If you can’t find this kind of bean, just use beans of different colours. “Five colours enter the five organs,” so different colours nourish the heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney.
Published August 16, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
