Good morning, dear friends 
Hehe, I forgot to post my recipe for Lung Cleansing Watercress Soup that I had promised earlier in my Lung Cleansing Breathing Exercise post CLICK HERE TO READ, until I was reminded by my very good friend, Rose. 
This easy-to-make and delicious soup is loaded with nutrition and was taught to me by a healer lady that I usually visit for my joint pains therapy. This elderly lady is a wealth of information on various herbs and soups for natural healing for our body, an art that she has inherited from her late grandmother. She strongly recommends this soup to smokers, those that inhale second-hand cigarette smoke and those living in polluted air environment as this soup is very effective in cleansing our lungs of toxins. She said never to underestimate the goodness of this simple vegetable and she told me to make this soup every 2 weeks for my husband, who is a heavy cigarette smoker.
Red & Honey Dates
*
Nutritious, Lung Cleansing Watercress Soup (for 6 persons)
Ingredients -
1 kg of watercress, use stems and leaves
500 gm of pork ribs, or lean pork, or skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of dried honey dates (mutt joe in Cantonese), omit this if you can’t find this in your area (or you can use 1 1/2 cups dried red dates pictured above instead)
4 litres of water
enough salt to taste
Method -
Put all ingredients in a pot or slow cooker, bring to a boil, remove any “scum” that is floating at the top, bring down the heat to low and simmer the soup for 4 hours (minimum). Season to taste.
** Note – for a vegan version – omit meat and salt and double the amount of dried honey dates
*
A pot of Sweet Watercress soup using just 1 kg watercress, 400 gm of dried honey dates, water
*
A cup of sweet watercress soup (vegan type)
*
This soup is very tasty and can be served with hot white rice, and your other dishes. Each of my family usually have a large bowl of this yummy soup, and I especially love eating the soft watercress.
** Note – it is important to use so much watercress and to simmer the soup for 4 hours so that the watercress’ strong “cooling” properties are removed, and the soup becomes very nutritious for our health, and it will have the potency to detoxify our lungs.
Otherwise, you can use a lesser amount of watercress, boil it in some chicken stock, add in your favourite meats (like shrimps, fish balls, sliced pork or chicken), season to taste, bring to a boil and the soup’s ready for you. In this method, this soup will be very “cooling” to your body but you can’t consume this too often. However, it will be very suitable when your body is heaty with symptoms of sore gums, sore throat, headaches, flu.
I heard that someone was sick in bed and drank this simpler version of watercress soup and she got well in a day! In other areas, watercress is good for anaemia as it has loads of iron (in this case, it is best to eat it fresh in a salad).
With best wishes for good health,
choesf
collectiveconscious said,
October 31, 2007 @ 12:13 pm
Awesome post, i’m going to try the recipe as soon as I can, thanks
brett said,
November 21, 2007 @ 1:13 am
hi. thanks for the recipe. Is the pork absolutely needed? Can there be a vegetarian variant?
happyhomemaker88 said,
November 21, 2007 @ 9:06 am
Hi and welcome, collectiveconsciousness and Brett,
Brett, the key ingredient here is the watercress and a crucial factor is that the soup must be simmered for 4 hours (a slow cooker can be used)…. meat can be omitted from this recipe for a vegetarian style.
When meat is omitted, be sure to use more honey dates. The extra from this sweet soup can be stored in refrigerator and drank cold – it tastes very delicious this way, too.
The savoury soup (with meat) tastes best when hot or warm.
Hope you like this soup.
Much peace and joy,
choesf
rose said,
November 27, 2007 @ 6:07 am
Hi my friend!
Belated thank you for the soup recipe! I only can do it in spring, or when I’ll find some watercress at the Metro type hipermarket. I’m sure I’ll love it. Dan and me, we both need to cleanse our lungs.
Te pup,rose xx
happyhomemaker88 said,
November 27, 2007 @ 12:12 pm
Te pups, dearest Rose!
This soup is very delicious and I often have a big bowl of it with lots of watercress – can be a meal on its own for slimming, too, without the carbo!
Take care and have a good rest!
Love,
choesf
yen1908 said,
June 8, 2008 @ 9:09 pm
Good evening to you, choesf
I had this savoury soup today (Dumpling Festival) at mum’s place! and it was very delicious and you made iit so simple to cook loh!:) You could add in wolf berries too!
Thanks for sharing:)
yen
happyhomemaker88 said,
June 10, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
Hello there, dear yen
Yes, this soup is very delicious and yet, it can do a lot to cleanse and heal our lungs.
Another simpler way is to just boil a big pot of watercress and honey dates in water for 4 hours, cool it down and store the drink in refrigerator to drink over 2 days. Tastes good when cold, too.
Have a nice day!
With love and hugs.
choesf
confused said,
September 18, 2008 @ 10:02 am
Not confused :p just a thank you for the recipe. I’m going to give it a try since I’m a 2 pack a day smoker….
happyhomemaker88 said,
September 19, 2008 @ 3:36 pm
You are most welcome, dear confused – the watercress soup is especially good for smokers as it will help to remove toxins from the lungs.
Have a restful weekend!
confused said,
September 19, 2008 @ 3:40 pm
umm….on a positive note, easy to make
The only thing I could stomach eating was the meat, the rest evoked the gag reflex. I think I put way too much red dates for my taste. Will try again with about 3 red dates haha.
happyhomemaker88 said,
September 19, 2008 @ 3:48 pm
Heheh, in that case, you may have to pinch your nose and drink this soup fast…consider it as a terrible tasting tonic for your lungs.
My daughter’s boyfriend also doesn’t like this soup but he will obediently gulp it down when I stand next to him and make sure he finishes his bowl of watercress soup! 
roz said,
September 30, 2008 @ 2:02 pm
I would like to Thank You for the recipe.
Now I see “watercress” in a different way. I have this growing in my back yard through the year.
Yes and I do eat it along with the rest of my family, now I know whats good for them : )
happyhomemaker88 said,
October 1, 2008 @ 2:56 pm
Hi there and welcome, dear Roz
Wow, you are so lucky to have watercress growing in your backyard. I have never seen watercress growing before. I’m glad you know more benefits of the watercress.
With peace and joy,
choesf
roz said,
October 3, 2008 @ 8:47 am
Hi,
I live in the tropic’s where our weather is always warming and watercress grows in the rivers and creeks in our islands. : )
The bonus with this is that is grows wild and to collect it one has to wade in the water, underneathe the water cresses one could catch fresh water prawns…. : )
So I believe water cress soup and BBQ Prawns is the way to go for me : )
Stay safe
Roz
houseofmuses said,
October 14, 2008 @ 8:24 pm
For a vegetarian variant, use vegetable bouillon and those nice big square toasted bread crumbs like you’d put on a salad.
happyhomemaker88 said,
October 14, 2008 @ 8:30 pm
Way to go, dear Roz! Catching prawns and harvesting your watercress at the same time – how wonderful!
Are there any leeches or snakes in the water? “Cos I’m terrified of leeches and worms and the watercress that I buy from the markets here in Malaysia can have many worms …and I jump each time I find some! 
Thinking about your BBQ Prawns have got me drooling! I’m going to get some dinner now.
Have a wonderful week ahead!
With peace and harmony,
choesf
happyhomemaker88 said,
October 14, 2008 @ 8:33 pm
Hi there and welcome, dear houseofmuses
Thank you for your suggestion of a vegetarian version of this soup. My family is used to the savoury, with meat, version of watercress soup but some people also boil the watercress with just some red dates or honey dates…sort of like a sweet, vegetarian variant.
Have a blessed week!
With peace and harmony,
choesf
wondering said,
October 27, 2008 @ 7:23 pm
How does it cleanse your lungs exactly? Do you have to eat the solids of the soup or is the broth ok? thanks.
happyhomemaker88 said,
October 28, 2008 @ 9:48 am
Hi there and welcome, dear wondering
Watercress contains properties that help to clear toxins and cleanse the lungs, probably at the alveoli of the lungs. We are bound to have some build-up of toxins in our lungs from pollutants, cigarette smoke, etc.
Just drinking the broth will do if you don’t like the solids. For me, I love the watercress and I usually have a large bowl of the soup and watercress.
Have a great week ahead!
choesf
Feathertail said,
December 2, 2008 @ 1:53 pm
What a wonderful site! I feel relaxed just knowing there are people out there just like you. I hope to return often to hear more about health and wisdom.
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 3, 2008 @ 7:55 am
Hi there and welcome, dear Feathertail
Thank you for your lovely comments. Do drop by when you are free and we’ll have a cup of virtual coffee or tea together.
With best wishes,
choesf
Jamie Raas said,
February 20, 2009 @ 5:26 am
if you can’t find watercress can you substitute it with something else?
happyhomemaker88 said,
February 20, 2009 @ 8:51 am
Hi there and welcome, dear Jamie
If you mean whether there are any substitute for the watercress for lung cleansing purposes, I’m afraid I don’t know of any plant or vegetable. But if you do a search for lung cleansing in the Internet, there are other products available.
Do have a lovely weekend ahead!
With peace and harmony,
choesf
womanocry said,
March 8, 2009 @ 5:14 pm
This is amazing. I live in west africa, it grows here everywhere.
my question is how often can i drink it? Is everyday too much?
happyhomemaker88 said,
March 9, 2009 @ 10:11 am
Hi there and welcome, dear womanocry
Wow, you are lucky to find watercress in abundance where you live. Watercress is considered a “cooling” plant in Traditional Chinese Medicine and the purpose of boiling or simmering this soup for 4 hours is to reduce somewhat the “coolness” part of it and make it more “balancing” in nature for our body.
If you have made a large pot of the watercress soup (without meat, and just with honey dates), then you can keep the balance of the soup in the fridge and drink it for a few days. But not everyday continuously over a long period of time. Perhaps, you can make this soup like once or twice a week?
For my family, I make different soups for different health purposes in a month and so, we have this watercress soup like once a month only.
Do have a lovely week ahead!
With best wishes for good health,
choesf
Jocelyn said,
March 28, 2009 @ 6:50 am
Hello There,
I just stumbled upon this website and was amazed to find this
important information of cleansing the lungs. You see I had fluid in my lungs a
few years ago and was hospitialized for eight days and but for the grace and mercy and love of God I would not be here today. All praise and honor to him for everyithing he has been to me. My comment is ever since I have had this experience(I forgot to tell you that they had to drain my lungs of the fluid), it is hard for me to take a full deep breath like I did before this incident. I asked my doctor what is the reason for this and he said it is just scarred tissue and it will go away. It has now been 4 yrs and I still have this problem. Will the watercrest soup help this problem or do you know of any remedy that will help heal scarred tissue without surgery. Not to mention I do not have health insurance. May God have mercy upon the poor and less fortunate. Please tell me what can I use to help heal this problem. I thank you very much. Could you please send the response to my e-mail address, so I can revisit it as often as I can? Thanks for helping other people such as myself. God bless!. Also, please serve Jesus Christ,
because he is coming very soon!
Joceangel
happyhomemaker88 said,
March 29, 2009 @ 9:58 pm
Hi there and welcome, dear Joceangel
I’m not sure if this soup will help to heal your lungs’ scarred tissue, but I will ask my healer friend about your problem and see if there is anything for it.
God Bless You!
With best wishes for good health,
choesf
rei said,
April 17, 2009 @ 11:34 am
Hello,
I stumbled across your website while surfing for achar, and decided to browse through your blog. It is impressive and is now in of my ‘favourites’ folder.
I have a question regarding the water cress. I like it crunchy, and would put the veggies in shortly before I am ready to enjoy my soup.
Would it hurt the purpose of the lung cleansing if I do not cook the water cress for a long time? You mentioned the long hours in the slower cooker remove the ‘cooling’ properties.
I remember enjoying this dish many, many years ago at a restaurant when I was a little girl back in Singapore. I remember because I saw red dates (unusual) in the bowl, and immensely enjoying the soft water cress (my mother has always served it mildly crunchy in soups) and how pleasant it was to slurp it from my soup spoon.
Also, I sincerely appreciate your post for Earth Hour and your wonderful plans for this very special occasion. It is time we, as a race, gather together and work towards saving our Earth Mother, and leaving smaller foot steps behind us. I also like to commend you for using vinegar and water solution for house-cleaning purposes.
Keep up the great work, and continue to share wonderful earth-friendly ideas with your readers. Every little bit helps …
Regards,
Rei
happyhomemaker88 said,
April 19, 2009 @ 8:46 am
Hi there and welcome, dear Rei
Thank you for your lovely comments. I am not sure if cooking the watercress in a shorter time instead of simmering it for 4 hours as prescribed by my healer friend would do the trick. But I have a suggestion….since you like to eat crunchy watercress, why don’t you keep some fresh watercress aside first while you make a pot of the 4-hour watercress soup (you can use a slow cooker/crockpot). At the end of the cooking time, remove the soft watercress and put the fresh watercress in. This way, you get will be satisfied with the texture of your watercress and yet get the benefits of the nourishing watercress soup. Fresh watercress is very cooling.
I learned something new from my healer friend last week – she said the simmered watercress soup is very good in getting rid of BAD BREATH as in most cases, the bad breath is a result of heatiness in the lungs and the watercress soup can counter this problem. She has a client who complained to her of her husband’s terrible breath. After just 2 times of drinking this soup, his bad breath was completely gone.
The simmered watercress soup can be had even every week as she said is is very “yun” or soothing to our body system as it is cooked for 4 hours. These days, there are many people down with persistent coughs and this soup is a good remedy for dry and phlegmy coughs, too.
Thank you also for your kind comments on my Earth Hour post. No doubt Earth Hour was just a simple acknowledgement of global warming and some people complained that it too commercialised or just a gimmick….it has created more awareness among people in Malaysia and I see more environmental friendly topics or community projects mentioned in newspapers these days! Good!
I have just prepared my very first natural and environmental friendly “Fruit Enzyme Multipurpose Cleaner” and I will be posting this here shortly.
Do have a lovely weekend!
With peace and harmony,
choesf
HellaD said,
May 6, 2009 @ 3:47 am
sounds delicious, this is brilliant for today’s world where we can’t always avoid pollutants.
I’m gonna be feeding this to my partner who has been a smoker for 20 years and really needs his lungs cleaned out.
happyhomemaker88 said,
May 6, 2009 @ 2:59 pm
Hi there and welcome, dear HellaD
Yes, this is a really delicious soup…whether it is cooked savoury or sweet. I always have a large bowl of it with lots of watercress. This is very good for cleansing our lungs of toxins, and a safe, natural and delicious remedy as well.
With best wishes for good health,
choesf
T said,
May 15, 2009 @ 7:18 pm
Hello,
I would like to add watercress to my diet but I’m not sure where to find it in KL. I have lived here for a few years but never looked for watercress. Any suggestions?
Also, is it possible to find a salad spinner in Malaysia??? I haven’t had one since I was in my country (the US) six years ago and sometimes I really miss it.
I think it would come in handy when I start eating more leafy greens.
thank you,
T
happyhomemaker88 said,
May 16, 2009 @ 12:04 pm
Hi there and welcome, dear T
The watercress plants found in Malaysia have the main stems included and are longer, about 1 foot in length…this is unlike the types of watercress sold in the US which is only the 6-inch tips of the plants (I was living in the US 20 years ago)…so you will know how to look for them here. They are sold in all supermarkets and wet markets at the green vegetable section.
Yes, I know those salad spinners that you were referring to, but I don’t think I have seen any here in Malaysia thus far (maybe I wasn’t looking for them)…but if I see one, I will email you.
Do have a lovely weekend!
With best wishes,
choesf
happyhomemaker88 said,
May 28, 2009 @ 8:21 am
Hi there, dear T
Good news! I found the salad spinner for sale at Ikea Home Furnishings, Mutiara Damansara, at the kitchen section on the lower floor.
With best wishes,
choesf
Lady said,
May 19, 2009 @ 5:29 am
Hi
I need help measuring the watercrest, my pack are 4 oz each, how many packs should I use.
Thank you
happyhomemaker88 said,
May 19, 2009 @ 9:05 am
Hi there and welcome, dear Lady
1 Kilo = 35.2 oz
If you are cooking for 1 person, then 4 oz to a person is just about right…as my recipe here is for my family of 6. By the end of the cooking time, each person gets about 3 cups (750 ml) of the soup (whether it’s made to be savoury or sweet) and we drink it over 2 days. Remember to refrigerate the leftovers.
With best wishes for good health,
choesf
Larry said,
June 2, 2009 @ 6:40 pm
Hi…can you please give the US equivalents of the measurements (not sure what KG and gm stand for). Also, am I supposed to put the dates in whole, or am I supposed to cut them into pieces first? (you can tell I’m not a cook, but I’m willing to try). Thanks – really looking forward to trying this recipe.
happyhomemaker88 said,
June 3, 2009 @ 11:37 am
Hi there and welcome, dear Larry
Actually, the measurements for the soup ingredients need not be exact, so you can use a “guesstimate” also.
Here are the converted measurements -
2 lbs of watercress (stems and leaves)
1 lbs of pork ribs, or any lean meat (or omit the meat for a vegetarian version)
1 to 1 1/2 cups dried honey dates or dried red dates (can leave whole or crushed lightly with the flat side of a chopper)
12 to 15 cups of water (here I used 1 cup = 250 ml or millilitres)
“kg” means kilogramme.
Hope you like this soup.
With best wishes for good health,
choesf
Larry said,
June 12, 2009 @ 3:15 pm
Hi, again. I tried this soup this past week with good results. Question though,
if I just wanted to make a “tonic” by using just the watercrest (stems and leaves), would I still get the same benefit (that is to say, without using the dates and meat)? I would like to just make a “lung-healthy” drink, by preparing it the same way, after which I would strain the soup of the stems and leaves for a “lung-healthy” tonic that I could drink for 2-3 days. Note: of course I could then add the stems/leaves to a pot of vegetable soup for added benefit. How does this sound?
happyhomemaker88 said,
June 13, 2009 @ 1:13 pm
Hi there, dear Larry
I’m glad you got to taste this soup. If you want to make a tonic, you can omit the meat and make a sweet version with the dates (no sugar is added as the honey dates are quite sweet)..like you mentioned, this can be strained and stored in the refrigerator to be drank over 2 to 3 days. The watercress and dates can be discarded. It must still be simmered for 4 hours. Otherwise, the watercress will be considered as too cooling to be taken often for lung cleansing.
However, I’m not sure if omission of the honey dates will reduce the efficacy of this soup as they have been traditionally used together. Honey dates have a balancing and soothing quality to one’s yin and yang in the body.
With best wishes for good health,
choesf
x said,
June 24, 2009 @ 3:42 am
hey there, i really admire your efforts here to help people enjoy a healthier and safer life .. i just have one question, which i hope you will be able to respond to.. is watercress available in Pakistan, Karachi to be specific .. Also, ive seen red dates around here, but i dont recall coming across honey dates.. plz reply asap, cant wait to taste this brilliant recipe your healer friend has suggested
happyhomemaker88 said,
June 24, 2009 @ 11:21 am
Hi there and welcome, dear X
I’m afraid I don’t know if watercress can be found in Pakistan. Perhaps, my visitors may be able to help.
With best wishes for good health,
choesf
smokertryingtoquit said,
September 24, 2009 @ 11:08 pm
Thanks, for recipe. Sorry, but I don’t have a website but I do have a Q for ya!!! Would it be OK to add vegies and stew like products/ are there other versions of this soup??? Thanks for any serious replies. Will/ want to try this soup as soon as possible. Trying to quit smoking so i’m looking for foods/ soups whatever to help my body. Thanks, all the lung power to ya!!!
happyhomemaker88 said,
September 25, 2009 @ 11:16 am
Hi there and welcome, dear smokertryingtoquit
I’m glad you are trying to quit smoking. My husband has been smoking for 30 years and he tried stopping many times, without success. So, I make this soup at least once every 2 weeks for my family to drink and I make sure he drinks more.
Thus far, this soup is made traditionally like this, but if you like, you can add in carrots, I guess. You will have to try it and see how the taste turns out.
Good Luck with your quitting!
With best wishes,
choesf
Honey said,
September 26, 2009 @ 4:53 pm
Dear All,
I hope u all would be fine and shine. I need WaterCress Seed Oil. Can any 1 help me to fine this in pakistan, I need it urgently. Please please help me as soon as possible.
Thanks & Regards,
Honey
happyhomemaker88 said,
September 26, 2009 @ 8:00 pm
Hi there and welcome, dear Honey
Thank you for your well wishes.
I have not heard of Water Cress Seed Oil here in Malaysia, but I’m sure if anyone comes across it, they will comment here to help you.
With best wishes for good health,
choesf
Honey said,
September 28, 2009 @ 4:42 pm
Hi,
Thank happy. Few days ago I read a topic on msn for hair loss. There was a tip that “use pure watercress seed oil”. But i could not find it. So tried on google and got ur site, there was not contact information about the person who posted that topic on site. Therefor I thought to consult with you. So I m waiting for some one to help me.
Thanx
Honey
happyhomemaker88 said,
September 29, 2009 @ 1:03 pm
You are most welcome, dear Honey
Ah, I understand now how you got directed to this post. We’ll see if someone else here can help you. Good Luck!
With best wishes,
choesf