Discover and combine your own six Chinese dried herbs for this nutritious and classic Six Combination Soup, popularly known as “Lok Mei Tong”.
As the weather continues to cool down, I find myself cooking soup almost everyday. It is wonderful to start a meal with a sip of soup as it warms up the body and whets the appetite. These soups are usually clear meat broths to go with our rice based meals. Vegetables like lotus root and herbs may be added for a range of flavors. They are very easy to prepare requiring few ingredients and little prep work.
Nutritious Chinese Herbal Soups
Chinese herbal soups are simple with clarity of flavors and low oil content. Nothing is ever fried. They are usually simmered very gently or double-boiled. The gentle cooking produces a clear and nutritious broth. Often, only the broth is consumed and the solid ingredients discarded. I like to eat the ingredients dipped in a little soy sauce.
Six Combination Soup
This Six Combination Soup popularly known as Lok Mei Tong or Luck Bee Th’ng has six Chinese dried herbs in it. The combination of herbs may vary slightly and sometimes one or two more herbs are added. When I was growing up, Mom often cook this soup. The herbs can be easily purchased at the Chinese herbal shops in the neighborhood. I enjoyed going to the “medicine” shop with mom. I love to sit on the high stool at the long huge counter watching the “Ah Pek” slicing, weighing, and packing those strange looking roots and herbs. It was fascinating to watch him weigh the herbs with his tiny Chinese weighing scales. Those are now antiques and have been replaced by electronic scales.
Chinese Herbs
Now, a little bit about the herbs. Wei san or Chinese yam are chalk white slivers of root believed to be an effective tonic for the kidneys and lungs. Solomon’s seal rhizome or yok chok are slivers of yellowish root with moisturizing properties excellent for alleviating throat and lung ailments. Lotus seeds are the hard, cream colored seeds that are used in a variety of sweet dishes. Lily bulbs are the scales of the bulbs of the tiger lily flower. They are cream colored and look like flower petals. Fox nuts are the hard brown seeds that look like barley grains. They boil open into little “popcorns”. Dried longans are prized for their warming properties.
4 pieces Chinese yam, wei san 淮山 (huai shan)
20 pieces Solomon’s seal rhizome, yok chok 玉竹 (yu zhu)
¼ cup (20g) lotus seeds 莲子(lian zi )
¼ cup (20g) lily bulbs 百合 (bai he)
¼ cup (20g) fox nuts 芡实 (qian shi)
¼ cup (20g) dried longan 龙眼肉(long yan rou)
Tools Used in Making This Six Combination Soup
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• Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless Stockpot with Cover, 6-Quart
• Cuisipro Stainless Steel Measuring Cup and Spoon Set
• Chef Craft Stainless Steel Ladle
Discover and combine your own six Chinese dried herbs for this nutritious and classic Six Combination Soup, popularly known as “Lok Mei Tong”.
- 4 pieces Chinese yam / wei san / huai shan
- 20 pieces Solomon’s seal rhizome / yok chok / yu zhu
- ¼ cup lotus seeds / lian zi (20g)
- ¼ cup lily bulbs / bai he (20g)
- ¼ cup fox nuts / qian shi (20g)
- ¼ cup dried longan / long yan rou (20g)
- 6 cups water (1500 ml)
- 8 oz lean pork ribs (cut into pieces) (225g)
- Salt to taste
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Rinse and soak dried herbs for 10 to 15 minutes.
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Bring water to a boil. Add pork ribs and allow it to boil gently over medium heat for 15 minutes. Skim off scum rising to the surface.
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Add drained herbs. When it comes back up to a boil, add salt. Reduce heat to the lowest possible setting so that soup will simmer very gently for 1½ to 2 hours. A gentle simmer will produce a clear soup.
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Turn off heat and serve warm.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Lyndsey ~The Tiny Skillet says
September 26, 2011 at 1:45 pmThis is so interesting, where do you get your Chinese herbs now living in the US? I am curious about how they taste. Funny I made a soup today…still hot here but it was raining today.
Biren says
September 26, 2011 at 1:51 pmI can buy these herbs individually at the regular Chinese grocery store I go to. This store carries a lot more Chinese herbs because they are Chinese and not Vietnamese.
This soup is just a little sweet in a good way. Children have no problems drinking this soup as it is not too medicial.
Belinda @zomppa says
September 26, 2011 at 1:47 pmMom would definitely approve – would have to go to one of those herbalists…hmm….
Biren says
September 26, 2011 at 1:51 pmChinese herbal soups are so good and comforting for the colder weather. 🙂
tigerfish says
September 26, 2011 at 2:55 pmYes…more soups for the cooler days and nights. But temperatures here are still hovering at the 80s…:O
Patty says
September 26, 2011 at 3:44 pmHi Biren!
Good to see you posting such an interesting soup using Chinese herbs! I’m feeling healthy just reading about it and looking at the pictures;-) Today is soup day for me too but nothing too interesting, just hopefully delicious;-)
Angie's Recipes says
September 26, 2011 at 11:08 pmmmm…had this soup before..a healthy and nutritious tonic.
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
September 27, 2011 at 1:06 amPlease don’t tell my mother in law. Our last visit in Taiwan, my MIL gave me a pack of Chinese herbs that I can recognize similar ingredients in your list. She taught me how, but I was so lazy to make it…and it’s been sitting in my fridge since November. Are they still okay? It’s almost a year…. She didn’t have “recipe” and I just don’t know how to cook without precise instruction. =P
Biren says
September 27, 2011 at 9:10 amDried Chinese herbs stored in the fridge can last for quite a while. I think yours should be fine. Herbal soups are pretty easy to prepare. The one thing it does require is some TLC in the simmering. 🙂
anncoo says
September 27, 2011 at 1:18 amMy family loves this soup as it is very healthy and nutritious even suitable for hot weather 🙂
Biren says
September 27, 2011 at 9:12 amThis soup is good for most weather. I like to cook herbal soups here in the winter as it’s warming properties help keep the chill away. 🙂
Katherine Martinelli says
September 27, 2011 at 3:27 amI also love love love soup. This is beautiful! I always want to buy ingredients like this when I am home in New York in Chinatown but have never known what to do with them. Now I do!
Biren says
September 27, 2011 at 9:14 amI hope you can find some Chinese herbs where you live and try out some herbal soups. Do check back as I hope to post a few more herbal recipes.
DongXing says
September 27, 2011 at 4:16 amI love this soup but no one else does in my family – my kids love it when my mother makes it but they say mine somehow taste different… such annoying tastebuds! When I do make it, my husband would say I am making “witches brew”…ha ha ha. This kind of soup is perfect for autumnal evenings, I like mine with a bowl of warm rice….
Biren says
September 27, 2011 at 9:15 amThis soup is so simple yet delicious! It is hard to predict what children will and will not eat. I am fortunate my boys will try most things.
Nasi Lemak Lover says
September 27, 2011 at 5:04 amGlad you are able to find all these Chinese herbs in where you live now. Eventhough i can easily buy these, but i seldom cook herbs soup as kids don’t really appreciate herbs soup. Yours look simple and nice.
Biren says
September 27, 2011 at 9:17 amYes, I am glad too as I do love herbal soups. The Chinese herbs I can find here are limited and so I do stock up when I go visit my parents.
wok with ray says
September 27, 2011 at 2:44 pmHi Biren! I’ve heard of this soup before but I’ve never tried it. We have a large Chinese supermarket here in LA, I should be able to find the herbs easily. Thanks, Biren!
Pam says
September 27, 2011 at 4:30 pmSoup is wonderful and this sounds great! Perfect for these chilly days now.
Magic of Spice says
September 27, 2011 at 4:40 pmWhat beautiful ingredients! I can just imagine how delightfully aromatic this must be….wonderful 🙂
Sanjeeta kk says
September 28, 2011 at 4:23 amAlways love yo drop i here for some very authentic recipes from you, Biren! Love all your creations.
Jay says
September 28, 2011 at 7:07 amwow…lipsmacking gooooooood..:P
Tasty Appetite
Adora's Box says
September 28, 2011 at 12:33 pmI love clear broths and have them as often as I can. I love Chinese herbal soups. I like the taste as well as the benefits they give to the body. My mom-in-law taught me a few simple ones and i cook them whenever I can. Your soup looks so comforting and it would be lovely to have now that the weather has changed.
Tina (PinayInTexas) says
September 28, 2011 at 3:47 pmEverything in that soup sounds new to me (except for the pork ribs)…but I must say that it looks so filling and comforting!
Lyn says
September 29, 2011 at 12:43 pmOne of my fave soup and I’d eat the ingredients too! Esp Huai Shan, I just love it same as my elder gal. 😉
Have a great week! 😀
elisabeth@foodandthrift says
October 1, 2011 at 10:42 pmA delicious and comforting soup, Biren. Love the step-by-step directions for someone like me, who has never made this!
Thanks for sharing:DDD
Peggy says
August 8, 2013 at 12:20 pmI know this is late, but I just found your blog and very glad that I did! I love all your recipes and plan on making them very soon. I’m interested in knowing what type of pot I should cook the soup in? My husband is Chinese and I would love to make these healthy soups to be incorporated to our diet. I love how you give us the names of the herbs and what they are. My in laws also make soup but its hard to get recipes from them because of the language barrier. Do you think I can make these soups in a slow cooker? I remember going to Hong Kong and saw a family member have a huge soup making device… And soup was served before a meal and after! Oh my-! 😉 thank you again for a great blog!
Biren says
August 8, 2013 at 4:56 pmWelcome Peggy! I am glad you found my blog and love the recipes. 🙂 I have simplified many of the recipes here so that they can be easily prepared by anyone who wants a tasty and healthy home cooked meal.
You can use any kind of pot for this soup. A clay pot would be ideal but as you can see in the pictures above, I made this in a stainless steel pot. You can most definitely use a slow cooker. Chinese herbal soups cooked in a slow cooker yield clear soup because of the slow cooking. I use the slow cooker when I am not in a hurry. 🙂
Please do visit again soon. I hope to post more herbal soups as the weather cools down.
Nadiah says
October 24, 2014 at 5:39 amHi i am wondering of this soup is high in calories.my mom adds lean chicken into the soup.i love this soup.
Linda says
October 26, 2014 at 6:17 pmUnfortunately, I do not have the calorie count for this soup. Lean chicken is a good substitute for the pork ribs.
Odelia Tan says
September 10, 2016 at 3:33 amYour recipe said to rinse and soak dried herbs for 10 to 15 minutes. Do I need to rinse & soak separately or can mix everything together?
Linda says
September 16, 2016 at 7:30 amYou can rinse and soak them together.