The longer the soup boiling time is not the better

　　It is advisable to cook the soup for 1.5 to 2 hours

　　Experts believe that the soup should not be cooked for too long, and the appropriate time is 1.5 to 2 hours, so as to best retain the nutrients. Bring to a boil over high heat first, then simmer over low heat. Adding rich ingredients when making soup is nutritionally balanced and facilitates digestion and absorption. However, making soup for too long will cause the loss of nutrients such as protein and fat in the food. Therefore, it is recommended to eat soup and meat together, because it is impossible for all the protein in food to be "boiled" and dissolved in the soup.

　　The medicinal materials should not be boiled for more than one hour.

　　In addition to meat, the Chinese medicinal materials in the soup are also one of its specialties. Meat cannot be cooked for a long time, so what about auxiliary Chinese medicinal materials? Experts believe that according to the cooking time of traditional Chinese medicine, Qi-tonifying medicinal materials such as astragalus and Codonopsis pilosula can be simmered for 40 to 60 minutes. If the time is too long, the active ingredients of the medicinal materials will be destroyed in the solution.

　　How to synchronize meat and medicinal materials? Experts recommend the following method: If the soup takes two hours, soak the medicinal materials alone for an hour. Then, after the soup has simmered for an hour, add the medicinal materials together with the water used to soak the medicinal materials into the soup, and simmer together with the ingredients for another hour. This can preserve the nutrients and medicinal effects of the ingredients to the greatest extent.

　　In addition, experts suggest that it is best to choose medicinal materials that are suitable for most people's constitutions and have neutral tonic properties, such as yam, wolfberry, Codonopsis pilosula, raw rehmannia, Polygonatum odoratum, etc.