Ginny, G2, Shenzhen College of International Education

Autumn is a chilly, crispy, colorful season. The harvesting of persimmons and butter-gold pears and the cooking of hairy crabs all happen in autumn. However, oral ulcers, sore throats and especially dry skin conditions caused by the unbearable dry season are such a pain that you wish it to be over as soon as possible. I introduce three soup recipes to you in order to relieve the dryness and create an appetite at the start of the meal.

“Rush, lotus seeds, lily and pears.” Sounds like a prescription for a magical potion, right? They truly are: The rush plant on its own can treat oral ulcers, sleeplessness, and act as diuretic; it can even calm your nerves. Not to mention pears and lotus seeds: Pears are considered to be cough-relieving; lotus seeds are heart strengtheners and have the function of lowering blood pressure. Pork ribs should be added in to boil as well as to add some flavor, and they can be eaten with various kinds of sauces or cooked in other ways (for example, fried) after the soup is prepared.

The second soup is less complicated. Indian gooseberries (or emblic) are to be boiled together with abalone and pork ribs and have anti-aging, phlegm-eliminating, inflammation-diminishing and even vision-improving effects. Indian gooseberries can be eaten raw as well, possessing a bitter and hard-going flavor, yet a refreshing and even sweet aftertaste. Interestingly, despite the non-edibility of abalone shells, they are actually a precious Chinese medicine that takes the role of a liver-cleanser, so putting them together with other materials to boil is the best choice. The same applies to many other waterborne mollusks, such as mussels.

The two recipes above both require three hours of water boiling — making good soup can’t be rushed!

The final soup is my personal favorite. Small saltwater mussels are taking the main role in place of the pork ribs. However, there is quite a great amount of sand in the mussels, and to gain a better taste, it needs to be removed. Put the mussels into a bowl with water and add a few drops of oil, followed by a spoonful of salt. After an hour or so, you can see precipitation forming in the originally clear water, meaning the sand has come out. You can also put a knife in the water and wait — the sand will come out for some reason (maybe the mussels are afraid of the blade? I’m no expert).

Luffa is also applied to this recipe, and it works in a similar way as the rush mentioned in the recipe above. In addition, taro is to be cooked with the mussels, and a few branches of basil can be added to enhance the taste. This kind of soup does not require a long cooking time: After preparing all the raw materials, it will be done within five minutes.

Autumn, again, is a season of beautiful things only if you take good care of your health. Many people wear moisturizing cream on their dry hands, but for us, we would like to fix the problem from the inside out.