Kelvin Au Yeung, executive chef of the three-Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Jade Dragon in Macau’s City of Dreams resort, is deeply concerned with both the flavor and health benefits of his dishes, especially his soups. Au Yeung’s approach to menu creation is highly personalized, often tailoring dishes to meet specific health needs of his diners.
“Some customers call me in advance to let me know the different foods that they are craving and those that they need to avoid,” says Au Yeung. “For example, if I know that a customer has a lot of ‘heat’ in the body, I will avoid serving deep-fried dishes and I will think of a soup that can lower the ‘heat’ and detoxify the body.”
In Cantonese cuisine, soup is an essential component, revered for its health-nourishing and ailment-healing properties. Au Yeung often incorporates ingredients believed to have remedial power, such as plants and dried herbs. For expert knowledge on these ingredients, he turns to Cheong Weng Heng, a Macau-based Qihuang Young Scholar recognized for excellence in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
TCM, a millennia-old practice, revolves around the concept of qi – a vital form of energy or “life force” – flowing through the body. An imbalance in qi can cause disease, so TCM aims to restore balance through treatments like herbal remedies, acupuncture, and massage. Cheong, executive director of ChengMio Medical Centre, explains, “TCM is not just about getting a prescription of herbal medicine when you are falling ill. It can be part of our everyday life. It’s about considering how everything we eat in a meal can benefit our body.”
Cheong notes that TCM incorporates the idea of the body’s internal climate, which can be excessively “heaty” or “chilly.” Seasonal produce and herbal medicine play a crucial role in adjusting the body’s climate to the external environment. “In TCM, there is a common saying ‘nature and humans in harmony’, which explains the belief that consuming produce that is in season is beneficial for health,” he says.
Unlike herbal tea treatments, which may involve strong doses for specific ailments, incorporating herbal medicine into dishes aims to achieve balance with milder doses. One of Au Yeung’s summer recipes is double-boiled broth with duck, dendrobium (a type of orchid) stem, and air-dried wild chrysanthemum. “Dendrobium cools down and detoxifies the body, but it also has a bitter taste, so the dosage needs to be light,” says Au Yeung. “Chrysanthemum cleanses the liver and sharpens the eyesight, and it has a sweet scent. The two balance one another. The duck has a distinct umami to it, so that’s the only meat we need for this recipe.”
Au Yeung prefers the double-boiling technique for making soup, which involves placing a sealed ceramic pot with all ingredients and cold water into a steamer or hot bath. This method ensures that all nutrients are retained inside the pot, making the soup more soothing and less “heaty” compared to direct boiling.
Watch the video to learn more about how TCM can elevate the art of Chinese soup making.