Traditional TCM Four Substances Soup

Ingredients

  1. 0.3 oz dong quai
  2. 0.3 oz rehmannia
  3. 0.3 oz white peony root
  4. 0.3 oz ligusticum
  5. 2 cups of water
  6. two eggs 

Utensils:

  1. instant pot for double boiling
  2. Steaming urn with double lids
  3. towels for surrounding urn from tilting

Method adopted from Paul Bergner “The Healing Power of Ginseng & the Tonic Herbs”

Make sure the four substances are equal parts in weight. Traditionally, according  to Guangdong Pearl River area, people tend to combine herbs with regular lean protein like lean pork, chicken,  eggs, mock sausage , or shiitake mushrooms (inspired  from Teresa M. Chen “ A Tradition of Soup Flavors from China’s Pearl River Delta).

My grandmother tended to cook Four Substances with boiled eggs. it helps to mild down the strong aroma from dong quai, makes the soup easy to intake. Chicken is another good protein, because of its natural sweetness.  Whatever meat is chosen, you need to blanch the meat for 5 minutes and rinse it with cold water.

Serving size : 2 

Procedures

  1. Weigh each herb and make sure it carries the same weight approximately 
  2. Wet the herb with cold water for 5 minutes and strain it
  3. Measure 2 cups of hot water and pour in the steaming urn
  4. Add pre-wet herbs into the urn
  5. Cover with inner lid and outer lid .
  6. Set up double boiling system, Instant Pot. lay one towel at the bottom of the inner pot . Insert the urn and surround the urn with two towel to secure it from tilting.
  1. Fill water in the bath 
  2. Cover and start slow cook Hi heat for two hours
  3. After two hours , turn to low heat for another 4 hours. periodically, use a thermometer to test the temp inside. It should reach 180F
  4. About half time, you could boil eggs in a separate pot. peel shell and add to the urn after 6 hours of steaming . Set in to keep warm and let it soak for another hour.
  5. Serve 8 oz in a bowl with one boil egg.  two servings .

Ff you cook with meat, you need to blanch the meat for 5 minutes and rinse it with cold water. Put the meat in the urn after one hour of steaming herbs. Meat in when the liquid is hot to 180F.   Continue with the rest of the process.  

Regarding cooking with Shiitake, you could put the herbs and mushrooms together at the beginning. Mushroom needs a higher heat and longer steaming to get its chitin of the mushroom will be soften and release constituents.