Codonopsis, Chestnut and Muscovy Duck Soup

Why people make this soup

Chestnuts are one of Nourilo’s favourite ingredients — sweet, soft, slightly floury, and deeply satisfying in soups. There are many varieties: the common board chestnut (ban li), the Guilin variety suited to braising, and occasional oversized novelty types. In Chinese food therapy, chestnuts are considered warm-natured, and particularly valued for supporting the stomach, spleen, kidneys, and tendons. Their richness in B vitamins, including riboflavin, makes them a traditional go-to for people prone to mouth ulcers or sores on the tongue. Combined here with codonopsis — a gentle, qi-building root — and the lean, yin-nourishing Muscovy duck, this soup achieves a lovely balance: warming enough to strengthen, yet not so hot as to aggravate sensitive constitutions.