White Radish, Hawthorn and Dried Duck Gizzard Soup

Why people make this soup

After the Lunar New Year feast — sea cucumber, flower swim bladder, abalone, fatty roast meats, glutinous rice dumplings — the stomach sometimes signals that it has reached its limit. In Cantonese food therapy, this state of uncomfortable fullness is called “food stagnation” (shi zhi): undigested food that sits heavily in the stomach, causing bloating, belching with a sour or rotten smell, and a general feeling of discomfort. Rather than reaching for antacids, Nourilo suggests this simple four-ingredient soup. White radish moves qi downward to ease bloating; hawthorn berries are one of the most well-known digestive aids in Chinese food therapy; dried aged duck gizzard lends a deeply savoury flavour while supporting the stomach; and tangerine peel ties everything together with its aromatic, qi-moving properties. It is a gentle, old-fashioned kitchen remedy that has been keeping Cantonese stomachs happy for generations.