Introduction: Making a nutritious and delicious soup for your family is a pleasure, but many people struggle with choosing ingredients, especially vegetables. Vegetables for soups need to be able to withstand long cooking without losing their shape, and they shouldn't develop an unpleasant odor after prolonged boiling. If they can also complement other ingredients nutritionally and in terms of flavor, that's even better. In this issue, I'd like to recommend several vegetables that are perfect for soups.
Lotus Root. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, raw lotus root is considered cool-natured and has the effect of clearing heat and relieving vexation. After being cooked, it becomes warm-natured, nourishing the stomach, nourishing yin, strengthening the spleen, and benefiting qi. A soup of lotus root and kidney beans can improve sleep quality, and when simmered with pork ribs, it can strengthen the spleen and whet the appetite, making it suitable for nourishment for those with a weak spleen and stomach. It's worth noting that when simmering lotus root for a long time, it's best to use ceramic or stainless steel cookware, avoid using an iron pot, and try not to cut the lotus root with an iron knife to prevent it from oxidizing and turning black.
White Radish. White radish has the benefits of benefiting the stomach, promoting qi flow, and aiding digestion. It can promote bile secretion, help digest fats, and its mustard oil and dietary fiber can promote gastrointestinal motility, helping to expel waste from the body. Therefore, when simmered with pork ribs, beef, mutton, or pig's trotters, a white radish soup not only replenishes qi and promotes its flow but also reduces the greasiness. If you don't want the radish to be too spicy, don't cover the pot tightly while it's simmering.
Potato. Potatoes are rich in nutrients like dietary fiber, which can stimulate intestinal peristalsis and relieve constipation. Fresh potatoes maintain their shape when boiled and have a mealy texture, making them suitable for soups. The most common example is borscht, also known as beetroot soup, where potatoes, carrots, beetroots, onions, and beef are simmered together for a sweet and sour, appetizing flavor. Additionally, potato and beef soup is one of the most classic pairings, full of umami flavor and also beneficial for strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach.
P>Kelp. Kelp contains substances such as alginic acid and fucoidan, which can lower blood pressure and lipids and has a hemostatic effect on arterial bleeding. Furthermore, kelp is rich in various trace elements like iodine, iron, and calcium. Kelp can be simmered in soups with tofu, shrimp, pork ribs, peanuts, or pig's trotts, or it can be simmered alone to make a very delicious soup.Winter Melon. Winter melon is cool-natured and has the effects of moistening the lungs, promoting the production of body fluids, clearing heat, and promoting urination. The propanediol it contains can effectively inhibit the conversion of carbohydrates into fat. Coupled with its high water content, it is a dietary vegetable suitable for patients with diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. There are many ingredients that go well with winter melon in soups, such as pork ribs, old duck, dried shrimp, and mushrooms. It's worth noting that when making winter melon soup, it's best to keep the skin on, as the skin contains not only various vitamins and minerals but also various volatile compounds with health benefits such as relieving summer heat and strengthening the spleen.
Chinese Yam. Chinese yam is rich in various vitamins, amino acids, and minerals, and has health benefits such as enhancing human immunity and calming the mind. Chinese yam is suitable for simmering with meat, not only doubling the nutritional value of the meat soup but also facilitating the absorption of its nutrients. Common meats paired with Chinese yam include pork ribs, beef, duck, and mutton.