In autumn, with large temperature differences between morning and evening and dry weather, drinking soups that moisten the lungs, relieve dryness, and nourish the body has become the top choice for most people's health regimen. So, what are the vegetables suitable for making soup in autumn?
6 Vegetables Suitable for Autumn Soup
1. White Radish
White radish has the effects of benefiting the stomach, promoting qi circulation, and aiding digestion. It can promote bile secretion, help digest fat, and its mustard oil and dietary fiber can promote gastrointestinal motility, helping to expel waste from the body. Therefore, simmering white radish with pork ribs, beef, lamb, or pig's trotters not only replenishes qi and promotes circulation but also reduces the greasy feeling. If you don't want the radish to be too spicy, don't cover the pot tightly while simmering.
2. Kelp
Kelp contains substances such as alginic acid and fucoidan, which can lower blood pressure and lipids and also have a hemostatic effect on arterial bleeding. In addition, kelp is rich in various trace elements, such as iodine, iron, and calcium. Kelp can be simmered with tofu, shrimp, pork ribs, peanuts, pig's trotters, or even simmered alone for a very delicious soup.
3. Winter Melon
Winter melon is cold in nature and has the effects of moistening the lungs, promoting 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 soup, such as pork ribs, old duck, dried shrimp, and mushrooms. It should be reminded that winter melon for soup is best cooked with its skin, as the skin contains not only a variety of vitamins and minerals but also various volatile components with health benefits such as relieving summer heat and strengthening the spleen.
4. Potato
Potatoes are rich in nutrients such as dietary fiber, which can stimulate intestinal peristalsis after consumption and relieve constipation. Fresh potatoes remain in chunks after boiling and have a soft, mealy texture, making them suitable for soups. The most common is the beetroot soup in Western cuisine, also known as borscht, where potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, and beef are simmered together, which is sweet and sour and whets the appetite. In addition, potato and beef soup is also one of the most classic pairings, full of umami and beneficial to strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach.
5. 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 nutrients in the soup. Meats commonly paired with Chinese yam include pork ribs, beef, duck, and lamb.
6. Lotus Root
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, raw lotus root is cold in nature and has the effect of clearing heat and relieving vexation. After being cooked, it turns from cool to warm, with the effects of nourishing the stomach, nourishing yin, strengthening the spleen, and replenishing qi. Simmering lotus root with kidney beans can improve sleep quality, and simmering it with pork ribs can strengthen the spleen and whet the appetite, making it suitable for people with a weak spleen and stomach for nourishment and health maintenance.