Four-Spirit Soup

The weather has been frightfully hot, and herbal soups are such a good way to have a satisfying but light meal. NTUC has a nice range of affordable mixes, so you don't even need to be a herbalist to know how to brew one. I made 四神湯 that day. In the package you get fuling, Chinese yam, lotus seed and qian shi. For better taste, I added lean pork, some dried scallops and two slivers of smoked ham. It just has to simmer on low heat for one hour.

This soup nourishes the spleen to help with digestion, and drains dampness from the body. You can also add barley if you want it to be even more cooling.