Four-Herb Chen Pi Red Date Soup

Why people make this soup

Office workers who skip meals, eat at their desks, or grab food on the run often end up with a sluggish digestive system over time — pale complexion, persistent low energy, and a body that just does not seem to absorb nutrition well. Traditional Chinese medicine has long recognised this pattern as a weakness of the spleen-stomach system. The classic ancient formula “Yi Wei San” called for eight different ingredients, but Nourilo has simplified the approach to just four key herbs — Chinese yam, poria, lotus seeds, and euryale seeds — plus tangerine peel to move Qi and red dates for blood nourishment. The result is a soup that has essentially no strong herbal taste, is genuinely pleasant to drink, and can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. It can be made with or without meat and simmered to a sweet broth.

Method

1. Rinse all ingredients briefly and soak for a few minutes if desired.
2. Place all ingredients in a pot with 1.5 L of cold water.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium-low simmer for 1 hour until the liquid reduces to approximately 600 ml.
4. Drink the soup and eat the solid ingredients — lotus seeds and euryale seeds are nutritious and worth eating.
5. For a savoury version, add pork or chicken pieces and increase water accordingly. For a sweet version, add rock sugar or pitted dates in the final 10 minutes.

Nourilo’s Tips

• This recipe as written is a single serving (for one adult). To make it for a family of 4–6, multiply all quantities by roughly 4–6 and increase the water to around 10 bowls, simmering for 1.5 hours.
• You can add tai zi shen (prince’s ginseng) or dang shen (codonopsis) to boost the Qi-tonifying effect.
• For diabetic family members, replace red dates with coconut dates (ke zao) — coconut dates have a lower glycaemic index and are less likely to raise blood sugar.
• If someone in the family tends toward constipation, just drink the soup and do not eat the solid ingredients; also add 4 dried figs (wu hua guo) to the pot to help moisten the intestines.
• This soup can be enjoyed in all four seasons.