Yuzhu and Beishashen Old Duck Soup

Main Ingredients

• Old duck 1 whole
• Northern radix glehniae (Beishashen) 60g
• Polygonatum odoratum (Yuzhu) 60g
• Fresh ginger 3 slices
• Spring onion 3 sections
• Cooking wine 15ml
• Salt to taste
• Dried tangerine peel (Chenpi) 3g
• Goji berries 10g
• Red dates 5g
• Dried figs 2-3 pieces
• Ophiopogon (Maidong) 10g

Steps

1. Rinse Beishashen and Yuzhu. Soak Yuzhu in water for 30 minutes. Drain Beishashen and set aside. Alternatively, rinse the herbs quickly and soak for 5 minutes. Remove feathers and internal organs from the old duck, remove the uropygial gland at the tail, wash, and cut into pieces about 4-5cm square. Place in cold water with ginger slices, a few Sichuan peppercorns, and 2 tbsp of cooking wine. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, continue boiling for 2-3 minutes, then remove, rinse with warm water, and drain.

   

2. Heat a wok with a little oil, add ginger slices and sauté until fragrant. Add the blanched duck pieces and stir-fry over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant. (This step enhances flavor but is optional.)

   

3. Place stir-fried pieces in a clay pot (sand pot) or earthenware pot. Add Beishashen, Yuzhu (and the water used for soaking), and ginger slices. Add enough hot water at once (about 2000ml) to fully cover all ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam. Reduce to low heat, cover, and simmer for 1.5-2 hours. Skim off the duck fat from the surface during simmering for a clearer, lighter soup.

   

4. Add goji berries (if using) 15 minutes before turning off the heat. Add salt to taste before serving. Note: Add salt at the very end – adding it too early will make the meat tough.

   

TCM Notes

Old duck: According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, duck meat "greatly tonifies deficiency and fatigue, most effectively clears heat and toxins, promotes urination, reduces edema, relieves distension, benefits the internal organs, reduces swellings, and calms fright". Duck meat is cold in nature, known to nourish the yin of the five zang organs, clear deficiency-heat, nourish the stomach, promote fluid production, enrich blood, and stop coughs. Rich in high-quality protein and B vitamins, with relatively low fat content. Beishashen (Northern radix glehniae) : Slightly cold in nature, known for nourishing yin, clearing heat, moistening the lungs, resolving phlegm, and benefiting the stomach to promote fluid production. Yuzhu (Polygonatum odoratum) : Neutral in nature (or sweet and cold), known for nourishing yin, moistening dryness, promoting fluid production, quenching thirst, and clearing the heart to relieve restlessness. Together, they achieve the synergistic effects of nourishing yin, moistening dryness, clearing heat, and tonifying the body. Beneficial for chronic gastritis and constipation due to stomach-yin deficiency, cough due to lung-yin deficiency, and those with weak constitution and low immunity.

Suitable for：Those with Yin deficiency constitution: Symptoms include dry mouth and throat, false heat rising, restlessness and heat Those with lung-heat cough and dry cough with little phlegm Those with insufficient stomach yin, poor appetite, and constipation Those who stay up late, overuse their voice, or smoke heavily Those recovering from illness, with weak constitution, or low immunity Middle-aged and elderly individuals with Yin deficiency constitution General population as a daily wellness soup for autumn and winter

Not suitable for：Those with deficiency-cold constitution: Symptoms include cold sensitivity, abdominal cold pain, and loss of appetite after cold exposure Those with chronic diarrhea or chronic enteritis Those with colds or fever (wind-cold colds, thin profuse phlegm) Those with excessive phlegm-dampness Those allergic to duck