Soups
Cactus Flower, Longli Leaf and Lean-Pork Soup
Traditionally used to clear lung heat and moisten a dry cough
Why people make this soup
When the weather shifts, a lot of people find that the cough after a cold lingers on and on. As the saying goes, a long cough strains the lungs: lung yin becomes depleted, an empty heat smoulders inside, and you get a scant sticky phlegm, a hoarse voice, a dry mouth and throat, and dry stools. Bro Niu shares this gentle soup to help ease that kind of dry, drawn-out cough.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suited to a lingering, dry, heat-type cough — including chronic bronchitis, whooping cough or lung conditions of the lung-heat type.
- Not suitable for those with a cold, sluggish stomach and poor appetite, or a cold-type cough.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Cactus flower (jian hua / ba wang hua): traditionally used to clear lung heat and moisten lung dryness.
- Fresh longli leaf (long li ye): traditionally used to clear heat, transform phlegm and ease cough.
- Apricot kernels (nan bei xing): the classic pairing for cough; combined here with honey dates and pork to make a soothing soup.
Ingredients (about 4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dried cactus flower | ~40 g (1 liang) | Soaked and rinsed |
| Fresh longli leaf | ~40 g (1 liang) | Rinsed |
| Apricot kernels (sweet + bitter) | ~40 g (1 liang) | |
| Honey dates | 3 | |
| Lean pork | ~225 g (6 liang) | Blanched |
Method
- Soak and rinse the cactus flower; rinse the longli leaf; blanch (out-water) the lean pork.
- Put everything into a pot with 8 bowls of water.
- Simmer about 2 hours, down to roughly 4 bowls, and serve.
Bro Niu’s tips
This soup benefits chronic bronchitis, whooping cough, and lung conditions of the lung-heat type. But it is not suitable for people with a cold, sluggish stomach and poor appetite, or a cold-type cough.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (reader): Can I add carrot and snow pear? Bro Niu: Yes, you can add carrot and snow pear.
- Q (good good): The cactus flower at the herb shop is very yellow — can I use it? Mine isn’t as white as yours. And is this soup, at these amounts, suitable for a child? Bro Niu: Cactus flower is this color when freshly dried and turns yellow with storage — no problem. This soup suits both adults and children for a stubborn cough or constipation; reduce the amount a little for a child, or just make a family-sized pot.
- Q (Yee Chan): Can I add dried starfish to a cactus-flower soup? Bro Niu: I rarely cook starfish with cactus flower — I find starfish very fishy in soup and seldom use it. Dried scallops taste much better.
Published December 31, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
