2 astragalus vegetable soup recipes for boosting immunity and detoxification

I want to share 2 astragalus vegetable soup recipes after writing about the benefits of astragalus in chinese cooking.

Adding astragalus (黄芪 huang qi) to soups transform them into gentle tonics for the whole family. If you are new to it, add just a little so that the taste isn't too strong.

The first one is a broth containing broccoli, carrot, corn and potato. It is an immunity boosting herbal recipe. The second is a great home detox recipe containing tomato, broccoli and shiitake mushrooms. The common vegetable here is broccoli. It has loads of vitamins and minerals and is considered indispensable in diets aimed at cancer prevention.

A visitor had contacted me saying that she substituted the dried root slices with astragalus powder from supplement capsules and that it worked. You may try it if you have them.

1. An astragalus vegetable soup recipe that boost immunity

Of all the vegetables in this recipe, broccoli cooks the quickiest, turning yellow and losing its nutrients. Cut into small florets and add it LAST.

Ingredients

1 carrot
1 potato
1 broccoli
1 ear of sweet corn
20g astragalus root
2 teaspoon salt
1000ml vegetable soup stock

Directions

1. Peel the carrot and potato. Cut both into bite-sized cubes. Wash and drain
2. Cut the broccoli into small florets. Wash and drain
3. Wash the sweet corn, cut into sections
4. Add the vegetable stock in a pot, add the carrot, potato, sweet corn, and astragalus
5. Bring the soup stock to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the carrot and potato become tender
6. Add the broccoli and cook till it is done
7. Add salt to taste before serving

2. Astragalus vegetable soup recipe for a home detox soup

Broccoli and tomato is considered a great anti-oxidant pair. They are reputed to aid in cell repair, balance blood pressure and lower blood sugar. However, they are not suitable for everyone. Those with kidney problems should avoid them.

This recipe tells you to remove the tomato skin because it is not easily digested. This is good for people who have digestive issues or for the elderly. If you like the skin (like me), you can skip that step.

Ingredients

12g astragalus root
230g broccoli
1 tomato
3 fresh shiitake or chinese mushrooms
1 teaspoon salt
1 litre water or vegetable soup stock

Directions

1. Wash the broccoli and cut into little florets
2. Wash the mushrooms and cut in half
3. Wash the tomato, remove the skin by scoring the skin with a knife and blanch the tomato with hot water and cold water. The skin should shrink from the fruit making it easy to remove. Cut the fruit into quarters.
4. Bring the astragalus and water to boil. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes
5. Add the tomato and mushrooms and cook a further 15 minutes.
6. Lastly, add the broccoli, turn up the heat and cook till broccoli is done
7. Add salt to taste

Dear visitors

Astragalus can also be added to pork, fish or chicken soups.

If you want to re-post these recipes, ask me first or follow these instructions. I'm flattered that people think my content is good enough to re-use but I think it is only polite to seek permission. Pictures appearing on this page are not necessarily mine. Click through to find the original flickr owner.

This page has been edited and updated on 19 June 2013.

Thanks, Phoebe

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