Green Olive & Rock Sugar Drink

Why people make this drink

Green Chinese olives (qing lan, or Chinese white olive, Canarium album) are quite different from the Mediterranean olives most Westerners know — they are hard, fresh, slightly astringent, and fragrant, sold at Cantonese produce stalls in the warmer months. In Guangdong, they have long been called the “fruit of the lungs and stomach” for their traditional association with soothing the respiratory tract. When children suffer through that relentless, whooping cough that just won’t quit, grandmothers across Hong Kong and Guangdong have reached for green olives. Simmered with just a little rock sugar, the olives release a deeply aromatic, mildly sweet liquid that is traditionally associated with clearing lung heat, easing the throat, and helping to resolve phlegm. Bro Niu teaches this simple recipe at his food-therapy classes, and students who grew up near olive orchards often recognise it immediately as a taste from childhood.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suitable for children and adults with persistent cough, phlegm congestion, or throat irritation.
• Particularly associated with the type of spasmodic, prolonged cough sometimes described as whooping cough in traditional texts.
• Good general maintenance drink for those who do a lot of cooking over gas flames (smoke inhalation) — the traditional rationale applies to homemakers who cook frequently.
• Avoid olives that are unnaturally vivid green with no yellow tinge — they may have been soaked in alum solution and are not suitable for consumption.

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Green Chinese olive (qing lan / Canarium album): Known in Chinese culinary medicine as a “fruit of the lung and stomach.” Associated with clearing lung heat, soothing and moistening the throat, quenching thirst, and resolving toxins. High in calcium, which is beneficial for children’s bone development. The astringency and fragrance of the fresh fruit are both part of what makes it effective.
• Rock sugar (bing tang): Adds gentle sweetness and makes the drink more palatable for children; considered less aggravating to the throat than cane sugar.

Ingredients (2–3 bowls)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Fresh green olives (qing lan)	~150 g (4 liang)	Rinsed, cracked with the flat of a knife
Rock sugar (bing tang)	to taste	Added at end
Water	6 bowls	~1.2 litres

Method

1. Rinse the green olives. Using the flat side of a cleaver or a heavy object, gently crack (not crush) each olive so the interior is exposed and flavour can be released.
2. Place the cracked olives in a pot with 6 bowls of water.
3. Bring to the boil, then simmer over medium heat for 40 minutes until the liquid reduces to about 2–3 bowls.
4. Add rock sugar and stir until dissolved.
5. Divide the liquid and drink over the course of the day.

Bro Niu’s tips

This drink is naturally pleasant — clean, faintly sweet, and lightly aromatic. It is suitable for all ages. It can also help clear the lungs for homemakers who are often exposed to gas cooking fumes. One important purchasing note: when buying fresh green olives, do not choose ones that are an unnaturally bright, vivid green with absolutely no yellow in them. Those have likely been soaked in alum water (fan shui) to preserve colour and are not safe to eat.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Lai): My 8-year-old has been coughing for two weeks with a lot of phlegm. Is this green olive drink suitable, or would red date and carrot water be better? Bro Niu: You can make the red carrot and red date water. If there is a lot of phlegm, add 2 dried tangerine peels (chen pi) to the pot — they are very good for resolving phlegm.

• Q (jiuli): My daughter is 3 years old and my son is 10, both have cough and runny nose. I want to make steamed pear with fritillary bulb (chuan bei) — what quantities can they both drink from the same batch? Bro Niu: For two children sharing, use fritillary powder (chuan bei mo) 4 qian, 2 snow pears cored, and a little rock sugar. Your son can have a larger portion. If your daughter has a lot of nasal discharge, you can separately steep 6 magnolia flower buds (xin yi hua) in hot water as a tea, with a little honey.

• Q (anonymous): What can I use if I cannot find green olives? Bro Niu: Green olives are fairly unique in what they do, but you could use one-third of a dried monk fruit (jin luo han guo) and 3 dried figs — this combination also helps moisten the lungs, resolve phlegm, and ease cough.

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Published July 19, 2022 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.