Luo Han Guo and Apricot Kernals with Pork Shank Soup
Soup Name:
Luo Han Guo and Apricot Kernals with Pork Shank Soup
Traditional Chinese Name:
羅漢果南北杏豬展湯 (luóhàn guǒ nán běi xìng zhū zhǎn tāng)
Nature: Cooling
Taste: Sweet and savory
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This soup is excellent for assisting in coughs and removing phelgm. It also aids in providing moisture to the body and lungs for those dry autumn and winter months. I would caution using the whole fruit (luo han guo) as it has a very distinct and sweet taste. Try using half and add more as you see fit. For me, the one fruit was too sweet and even when I asked the herbalist, she told me that one is definitely more than enough for one pot of soup.
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours and 20 mins
Serves: 10 bowls
- 1 pound of fresh pork shank
- 1 dried luo han guo
- 1 tablespoon of apricot kernals
- 3 large dried dates
- 2 litres of water
- 1 teaspoon of salt (to marinate the pork)
- Pre-marinate the pork overnight with the salt (although this step is not necessary)
- Boil your soup water
- Boil another pot of water enough to fully submerge the pork. When this boils, add in your pork shank and boil for about 5-7 minutes, blanching it to remove bones, blood, and the foam that will come with this type of meat.
- Wash and soak apricot kernals in warm water and dried dates in warm water
- Cut luo han guo into quarters (or halves) – I will only use half, which is still a bit too sweet for me, so go with a quarter first and see how that goes!
- When the soup water boils, add all the ingredients together
- Boil on high for thirty minutes, reduce to a simmer boil for another 1.5 hours
- Serve!
This soup also very good for kids as it is so sweet that they just love it.
Luo Han Guo and Apricot Kernals with Pork Shank Soup
Hi, friend I like your blog Archive regarding the Chinese Soup
Recipes. I notice your herbal soup is using pork. Can use chicken
instead of pork. Thank you and looking forward for your reply.
look baba, what you can do with lo-han-guo!
can furnish the ingredient in mandarin? TQ
Chun Hua, We’ll consider it and try – although Mandarin is our 3rd language. Thank you for the suggestion. Lisa
Hello soup ladies! I just want to say that I am thankful that you exist, that you’re blogging about chinese soups, and that I found your website. 🙂
In the last several years since moving away from home, I miss–no, I crave!–the chinese soups my mom makes at home, and while I’m learning to make them now on my own, it’s a wonderful thing to have your site as a reference. Keep up the great work!
Also, a question about soaking the apricot kernels: what purpose does this serve? Is it truly required before adding them to the soup?
Thank you, Ladies!
Hi Holly,
Apricot kernals are said to help reduce cough and soothe the lungs. They are usually combined with lung “soothing” soups like this one and the watercress one. Again, you don’t need to have them for the taste (because they taste like nothing almost), but it’s a very traditional Chinese ingredient – especially in these soups and most vendors and Chinese herbalists will tell you to add them. Hope this helps! Lisa
Thanks for the recipe. Can I ask if this can be used to make porridge as well?
Dear ah hua, luo han guo is not commonly used in porridge (as it is used in soups and teas). For porridge, you can simply use pork bones (ribs being best). You salt the bones and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours and then quickly rinse with water and add to rice and water. I’ll have to make this and post it (but I do have turkey porridge which is similar). Hope this helps! Lisa