Jade Screen Carrot-Ginger Soup

Cold and Flu season is already upon us- so stay warm and strengthen your immune system with Chinese herbs as a stock for this delicious carrot/ginger soup.

You’ll need:

3 tbls. olive oil, 2 cups chopped yellow onion, 4 garlic cloves minced, one 5″ piece of ginger chopped, 1 tbls. dried basil or a handful of chopped fresh, 10 medium carrots, peeled and sliced thinly, 1 thinly sliced yellow finn potato, juice of half a lemon, 1 tbls. tamari, freshly ground pepper, 3 tbls. cilantro (save a little for garnish), 5 cups chicken or veggie broth and finally 1 cup of the Jade Screen formula i.e. 9 grams ea. of Astagalus, Atractylodes and Siler. (HuangQi, BaiZhu & FangFeng).

This is what you do:

Soak the herbs in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes while you start slicing your carrots and prepping the other ingredients. Start the flame under the herbs and bring up to a boil then down to a simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and set aside. Next heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and sautee over high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the basil carrots and potato and cook for 5 minutes. Add the herbs and broth, cover the pot, reduce heat and simmer until the carrots are soft, 30-40 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, blend the soup and herb formula until smooth and return to the stove. Add the lemon juice, tamari and pepper to taste. Stir in the cilantro and simmer another 5 minutes.

Now you are ready to garnish and serve your therapeutic soup as you imagine a protective jade screen shielding you from cold and flu season.

Historical Note: This formula “Yu Ping Feng San” -The Jade Screen Decoction has been used traditionally to strengthen the Spleen Qi (digestive energy) and to boost the Lungs’ ability to spread the “protective Qi” to the surface of the body.

Contributed by Laura

八珍湯 Ba Jen Tang, Eight treasure tonic

八珍湯 Ba Jen Tang, Eight treasure tonic

This formula it a combination of “Si Wu Tang四物湯” and “Si Jun Zi Tang四君子湯”, very good blood and qi tonic. So might be a good tonic after menses. In general, after the period finished(no bleeding anymore), take for 7 to 10 days. Because this tonic not just tonifying blood but also regulate blood, it should not be taken during period, otherwise will cause too much bleeding.

This soup can be take along, but I like to use this formula to make chicken soup. It’s got strong flavor, so it would be better to start with smaller amount.

1.人參或黨參 Ren Shen or Dang Shen 3 qian: Qi tonic.

2.白朮 Bai Zhu 3 qian: Harmonize blood

3.茯苓 Fu Ling 3 qian: Strengthen the spleen, leaches dampness.

4.當歸 Dang Gui 3 qian: Blood tonic, harmonize blood.

5.熟地黃 Shou Di Huang 3 qian: Nourish Yin and blood.

6.白芍 Bai Shao 3 qian: Harmonize blood.

7.川芎二錢Chuan Xiong 2 qian: Invigorate blood, move qi.

8.甘草 Gan Cao 1.5 qian錢半: Strengthen the middle, harmonize stomach.

9.紅棗Hong Zao 2 qian二錢: Strengthen spleen.

10.生薑Shen Jiang 3 piece三片

Besides these four herbs, you can also add some “Gou Qi Zi枸杞子” for better flavor also tonify the Liver, adding some sweetness, or even some Qi tonic herbs such as “Huang Qi黃耆”. And of course this formula can be adjusted for individual constitution.

Herb Note:

地黃Di Huang:There are 2 kinds of “Di Huang地黃”, one is raw(“Sheng Di Huang生地黃” or “Sheng Di”), another is roasted(“Sho Di Huang熟地黃”, or “Sho Di”). For those who tend to run cold, cold hands/feet, or deficiency type, use roasted(“Sho Di Huang”, or “Sho Di”). For those who with deficient heat, dry mouth, thirsty or gets acne with period, use raw(“Sheng Di Huang” or “Sheng Di”). Raw(“Sheng Di Huang” or “Sheng Di”) is often classified in clear heat/cool blood category, and it also nourish Yin, generates fluid, cool ascending heart fire. While roasted(“Sho Di Huang”, or “Sho Di”) is classified as herbs that tonify blood.

四神湯 Si Shen Tang, help your digestion system

四神湯 Si Shen Tang, Four spirit soup, or sometimes neamed 四臣湯Si Chen Tang, is very good for strengthening the digestion system, improving appetite. This soup is very mild and can be taken for long term (but not suitable for people with chronic constipation).

Traditionally the pig intestine is used as to emphasize the digestion function of this soup. However, for people who can't find or don't want to eat pig intestine, we can also use pork to cook this soup.

Ingredient:

1.伏苓Fu Ling, 30g

2.淮山Huai Shan/ Shan Yao, 30g

3.蓮子Lian Zi, 30g

4.芡實Qian Shi, 30g

5.薏仁Yi Yi Ren, 30g

6.當歸Dang Gui, 2 piece

7. 8cups of Stock(the original stock was made from pig bones, can be substituted by vegetable stock or chicken stock, or water).

8.Pig’s small intestine 300g(Intestine is used for helping with digestion, I sometimes use pork to substitute intestines.

9.Salt.

10.Rice wine.

Cooking method:

1. Boiled water, put the intestine/pork in boiled water, remove the turbid on the surface. Change water if needed. This step is to clean the blood from the intestine/pork, so don’t leave the intestine/pork in the water too long.

2.Bring the stock to boiled, put all the herbs and the intestine/pork, bring up to big fire until boiled again. When boiled, turn to small fire, cook for another 45 minutes, until the ingredients become tender.

3.Seasoning with some salt and a few drops of rice wine.

Function:

1.伏苓Fu Ling: Promotes urination and drains damp. Strengthen the spleen, harmonizes the middle jiao. Transforms phlegm. Quiets the heart and calms the spirit.

2.淮山Huai Shan/ Shan Yao:Spleen & Stomach tonic, Kidney tonic, Lung qi and Lung yin tonic.

3.蓮子Lian Zi: Strengthen the spleen, nourishes the heart, calms the shen and Kidney tonic.

4.芡實Qian Shi: Strengthen the spleen, stops diarrhea. Stabilizes Kidney, secures essence. Expels damp, stops discharge.

5.薏仁Yi Yi Ren: Resolves dampness. Strengthen the spleen. Eliminates painful obstruction. Clears the Heart and expel pus. Clears damp-heat.

6.當歸Dang Gui: Nourishes blood/regulates menses. Invigorates and harmonizes blood. Disperses cold. Moisten Intestines/unblocks bowels. Treats cough.

Three tonifying herbs Chicken soup

This is my favorite nourishing herbal chicken soup that my mom taught me how to make. It’s so simple and easy, and almost can have it in any season. 

I often use  枸杞Gou Qi Zi, 紅棗Hong Zao, 黃芪 Huang Qi as basic tonifying herbs, because they tonify Yin, Qi and blood, and most important of all, the combination taste so good!  

Sometimes I add other things according to season or what other aspect I want to tonify. In today’s recipe, I put some 當歸 Dang Gui because I want to tonify blood.

Ingredients:

1.枸杞Gou Qi Zi: 2-3 Qian(5-10g)

2.紅棗Hong Zao: 2-3 Qian(5-10g)

3.黃芪 Huang Qi: 2-3 Qian(5-10g)

4.當歸Dang Gui: 1-2 Qian(3-5g)(this herb is a little bitter and has special aroma, so don’t put too when you first time making this soup. If the soup still turn out too bitter, you can put some more 枸杞 or 紅棗 to balance the bitterness)

5.Chicken or other meat (better with bones), these herbs should go with a mid-size chicken or 4 chicken leg. If you are a vegetarian, you can put some shitaki mushrooms or Japanese yam. 

How to cook:

Just throw everything together in a big pot, add water until everything gets covered. And heat up until boiled. Turn into small fire for another half hour or so. 

Try the soup, add some salt if needed. 

See, it’s super easy, and if the soup is too thick, you can always add more water. I add some Pok choi(cook in another pot, better not cook with the herbs together, can add in the last 5 min though) 

Note: 

枸杞Gou Qi Zi, 紅棗Hong Zao, 黃芪 Huang Qi are really 

good basic tonifying herbs, so I sometimes just cook these 3 herbs as herbal tea.