Watercress, Golden Monk Fruit and Pork Shin Soup

Why people make this soup

Watercress and monk fruit soup is one of the most widely made Cantonese home soups during the cooler months — familiar to anyone who grew up in a Cantonese household. It is made for more situations than just simple coughs: Chinese medicine holds that most inflammatory conditions in the body involve a degree of heat, which causes fluids to thicken and accumulate as phlegm. Watercress, which is one of the most nutritionally dense leafy vegetables, is cooling and phlegm-resolving. Nourilo uses the golden variety of monk fruit in this recipe — a form that is dried slowly at low temperature, producing a clean, clear sweetness without the smoky notes of conventional kiln-dried monk fruit. The result is a broth that is genuinely pleasant to drink and not at all medicinal in taste. It is particularly helpful for those whose coughs persist after a cold, or who spend long hours in front of screens, or who smoke or drink regularly.