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Sugarcane Carrot & Pork Bone Nourishing Soup

竹蔗萝卜猪骨汤

 

The Sugarcane–Carrot Pork Bone Soup is a traditional Cantonese medicinal-nourishing soup (药膳汤) made by simmering sugarcane and carrots together with pork bones.
 

While many Guangdong households cook pork bone soup with potatoes and carrots, replacing potatoes with sugarcane provides superior effects in clearing heat, moistening dryness, aiding digestion, and replenishing nutrients. It is especially suitable during the dry autumn season.

 

Benefits of Sugarcane (竹蔗)

Sugarcane has a neutral to slightly cooling nature (平 ~ 微寒) and a sweet taste.
It enters the Stomach and Lung meridians (胃、肺经).
Rich in sucrose, fructose, glucose, malic acid, citric acid, and various vitamins, sugarcane is nutritious and affordable.

 

TCM Functions of Sugarcane

• Clears heat and relieves irritability (清热除烦)
• Generates fluids and moistens dryness (生津润燥)
• Tonifies Qi and transforms phlegm (益气化痰)
• Harmonizes the stomach and regulates Qi (和胃理气)
• Benefits the throat and promotes urination (益喉利尿)
• Detoxifies the body (解毒)

 

Ingredients

• 竹蔗 (Sugarcane) – 250 g
• 红萝卜 (Carrot) – 500 g
• 陈皮 (Dried Tangerine Peel / Chenpi) – 1/4 piece
• 猪骨 (Pork bones) – 500 g
• 生姜 (Ginger) – 3 slices

 

Cooking Instructions

1. Wash the sugarcane, peel it, and cut it into suitable lengths.
2. Wash and peel the carrots, then cut them into large chunks.
3. Soak the dried tangerine peel (Chenpi) in water and remove the white pith inside.
4. Rinse the pork bones and crack them with the back of a knife.
5. Place all ingredients and ginger into a pot (a clay pot is recommended).
6. Add 2,500 ml of water (approximately 10 bowls).
7. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a low simmer for 2 hours.
8. Season with salt to taste and serve warm.

 

Tips

• Blanching the pork bones beforehand removes blood and odor, resulting in a clearer broth.
• For a lighter and more natural taste, omit the salt and enjoy the natural sweetness of the ingredients.
• For added flavor and nutrition, you may include water chestnut, imperatae root (茅根), chestnuts, corn, or dried figs.
• This soup is ideal for dry seasons, helping moisten the lungs, clear heat, and generate fluids.
• Drinking this nourishing autumn soup can help maintain good health throughout the dry season.

 

About Sugarcane (竹蔗)

竹蔗 (zhúzhè) refers to a type of sugarcane native to China—specifically Saccharum sinense, a subtropical/tropical species in the grass family.

Characteristics

• Grows in higher-latitude or higher-altitude areas compared to common sugarcane
• Has a dark purple to brownish-black skin
• Fibrous and firm, with a clean, subtle sweetness

 

Uses

• Commonly used in beverages and soups
• In TCM, known for:
  • Clearing heat (清热)
  • Generating fluids (生津)
  • Moistening the lungs (润肺)
  • Relieving cough (止咳)
• A traditional drink called Bamboo Cane & Imperatae Root Water (竹蔗茅根水) is made by boiling sugarcane with imperatae root, water chestnut, carrot, etc.
  It is popular in hot weather for reducing internal heat and thirst.
• Historically used not only for sugar production, but also for brewing, vinegar making, and papermaking.

In summary: 竹蔗 is a specific type of sugarcane commonly used in beverages and herbal soups.

 

About Chenpi (陈皮 — Aged Tangerine Peel)

Chenpi is made from the peel of citrus fruits (mainly mandarin/orange), sun-dried and then aged over time.
It differs from fresh peel:
only peel aged for at least one year qualifies as Chenpi,
and longer aging results in better medicinal quality with reduced bitterness and enhanced aroma.

 

Main Functions & Benefits of Chenpi

In TCM, Chenpi is acrid, bitter, and warm (辛、苦、温) and enters the Spleen and Lung meridians.
It has both medicinal and culinary value.

 

1. Regulates Qi and strengthens the Spleen (理气健脾), promotes digestion (调中开胃)

Its volatile oils gently stimulate the digestive system:

• Promotes digestive juice secretion
• Expels intestinal gas

Useful for:

• Epigastric or abdominal distension
• Belching
• Nausea or vomiting
• Poor appetite

 

2. Dries dampness and transforms phlegm (燥湿化痰), relieves cough and wheezing (止咳平喘)

Chenpi enhances respiratory secretion to:

• Eliminate phlegm
• Dilate the bronchi
• Ease labored breathing

Particularly suitable for cold-phlegm or damp-phlegm coughs (white, thin phlegm).

 

3. Other benefits

• Supports cardiovascular health; may help prevent hyperlipidemia-related arteriosclerosis
• When taken with vitamins C and K, the decoction enhances anti-inflammatory effects

 

How to Use Chenpi

1. As tea

The most common method.
Can be brewed alone or combined with:

• Pear (moistens lungs & stops cough)
• Dendrobium (nourishes the stomach & generates fluids)

 

2. In soups and dishes

Adds aroma and helps:

• Remove fishiness
• Reduce toxicity
  Used in stews, soups, braises, stir-fries, etc.

 

3. In herbal prescriptions

Chenpi is essential in classic formulas such as Er Chen Tang (二陈汤),
used to treat phlegm-damp accumulation.

 

Precautions

1. Match to the type of cough

Chenpi is suitable for cold/damp phlegm cough (white or thin mucus).
It may worsen yellow phlegm or heat-related cough.

 

2. Not all orange peels are Chenpi

Medicinal Chenpi requires:

• Specific citrus varieties
• Correct harvest season
• Proper aging conditions

Simply sun-drying fresh peel at home does not equal true Chenpi.
Xinhui Chenpi (新会陈皮) from Guangdong is the most renowned and highest quality.