Soup Name: Loquat soup
Traditional Chinese Name: 川貝枇杷湯 (chuān bèi pípá tāng)
Introduction:
A great soup for nourishing the lungs, helping with coughs and reducing phlegm. It is a great soup for the changing season of summer to autumn when it fluctuates between hot and cold. The ingredients are very herbal focused and most often used in Chinese medicine to help with lung deficiencies and rejuvenation and healing. For children, use less herbal and more natural ingredients (like vegetables). I made this soup with fish, but you can make it with pork instead.
What Ingredients are required?
2 fresh Grass Carp fish tails
3 fresh corn
30 g of dried loquat leaves
20 g of fu ling
5 g of dried licorice root (or 7-8 slices)
15 g of Creeping Liriope Root Tuber
8 g of Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae (or chuān bèi)
5 g of dried figwort root (or 5-6 small pieces)
5 g of dried lily bulb (or 5-6 pieces)
1 tablespoon of apricot kernals
5-6 preserved sweet dates
2 slices of fresh ginger
2-3 litres of water
1 tsp of salt to marinate your fish
1 tsp of oil to fry your fish
How do I prepare it?
- After the fish is cleaned, wipe the fish with paper towels or a cloth to remove excess water
- Cover the fish with a small amount of salt (inside and out)
- Let it sit for an hour and then drain any water
- Peel and cut all the vegetables
- Start boiling your soup water
- In a pan, add oil and fry the ginger with the fish on low-medium heat (until the fish is completely cooked and the skin is a slightly browned)
- Put the fish into a soup bag and add to boiling soup water
- Add all Chinese herbs and remaining ingredients to the soup
- Boil on high for 30 minutes and reduce to continually boiling for another 1.5 hours
- Serve and enjoy!
Any benefits?
- Excellent soup for removing internal fire and heatiness
- Ideal for relieving cough symptoms, rejuvenating the lungs and removing phlegm
Any precautions?
- Considered a cooling soup, so women who are less than 3 months pregnant should take caution
- Use a soup bag to avoid disintegration of fish and bones – which can be potentially dangerous to children
Hi Lady Tong,
My 16month toddler is having some cold cough, is there any suggestions drinks like orange with pear n ginger drinks? i have heard before but unsure about the ingredients…. pls help… i do not want her to take cough syrup this young….
Thank you
Regards
Candy
Hi Candy,
I have not heard of orange with pear and ginger. I do think the ginger and pear would work, but oranges in general for Chinese promote phlegm, so best to avoid especially when trying to promote healing in the lungs. You can find any soups in the coughs and colds section: http://www.thechinesesouplady.com/?cat=38. Hope this helps! Lisa
We plan to have a family for many years yet I still can’t concieve. I’ve been doing check up & it make my body weaker after those medication. Can I consume this soup? Or Any soup that you can suggest that we can take to increase chance of pregnancy?
Dear Reiko,
Hmmm, you would probably need something to “increase the strength” of your body. Any of the confinement soups will help. As for this soup, I am not sure as it’s entirely focused for overall body healing for childbirth, it really only focuses on the lungs. Definitely do try the confinement soups. However, you can consider seeing a Chinese doctor as their drinks/soups are far more potent. Take soups as a supplement towards better health. Hope this helps and good luck! Lisa