Dang Gui tonic soup

The other day when I went to see the TCM doctor regarding a slightly sprained elbow and an achy back, he told me that I have to be conscientious in taking care of myself, especially after each menstrual cycle as he says that my limbs feel a little cold to touch. He suggested that I should make myself a tonic soup after the menstrual cycle or buy Bak Foong pills to nourish my body... and so I decided that I'd just make myself the tonic soup. After all, I'm a fan of soups... so why not? :)

The last time I drank a dang gui soup would have to be during confinement. That's when I can take heaty stuff and not fall ill. It seems that it's the same with a woman who's just finished menstruating. Accordingly, this soup should be consumed on the day the period finishes. Unfortunately, I was too busy on that day and so I only made it the next day. I hope it won't cause me to be over-heaty!

Benefits of consuming dang gui (Chinese Angelica Root):

• nourish blood
• improve blood circulation
• alleviate menstrual cramps
• improves regularity of menstrual cycle

Dang gui tonic soup

Ingredients:

• 5 thin slices of dang gui
• about 1 tablespoon wolfberries
• 70g lean pork (瘦肉) - can be substituted with a hard-boiled egg or chicken meat
• 3 big red dates (pitted)
• estimated 10g yu zhu (Solomon's seal)
• 500ml water
• salt (optional)

Method:

1. Rinse the herbs.
2. Blanch the pork.
3. Add the pork, all the herbs (except wolfberries) and water into the double-boiler.
4. Double-boil for 3-4 hours.
5. Add wolfberries approximately 15min before serving.
6. Add salt prior to serving (optional).
7. Sieve the ingredients, leaving behind only the meat and wolfberries in the soup.
8. Serve.

Anyway, the soup's really tasty and I enjoyed every bit of it... Men however are advised against

taking this soup as it's usually too heaty for men. It's possible for men to have the soup: just reduce the amount of dang gui to about 3 pieces.