Soups
Fresh Cereus Flower Soup (xian ba wang hua tang)
Traditionally clears stomach-intestinal heat
Why people make this soup
Bro Niu once thought the cereus and the epiphyllum were the same flower, then learned they’re cousins in the cactus family — and that dragon fruit is in fact the fruit of this cereus (ba wang hua). The fresh flower is more cooling and mucilaginous than the dried, but its scent is lovely. Simmered with carrot, honey date and pork, it’s a fragrant, comforting bowl for those carrying stomach-intestinal heat — dry stools, a bloated, uncomfortable stomach, bad breath, a flushed face, a dry sore throat.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits those with stomach-intestinal heat: constipation, bloating, bad breath, flushed face, dry throat. Also kind to children with phlegm-heat lumps or a lung-heat phlegmy cough.
- The fresh flower is cooling and bowel-loosening — pregnant women should avoid it. Cold constitutions can add ginger and aged tangerine peel to soften its cooling nature.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Cereus flower (ba wang hua): traditionally clears heat and, being mucilaginous, helps move the bowel.
- Carrot (hong luo bo): traditionally balances and harmonizes the soup.
- Honey dates (mi zao): add natural sweetness and round out the flavor.
Ingredients (about 4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh cereus flower | 2 stalks | or 2 dried |
| Carrot | 1 | peeled, sliced |
| Lean pork | 6 liang (~225 g) | sliced, blanched |
| Honey dates | 3 pieces |
Method
- Rinse the fresh flowers and cut them open. Peel and slice the carrot. Slice the pork and blanch it.
- Put everything in a pot with 6 bowls of water and simmer about 2 hours down to about 4 bowls. Drink the soup and eat the ingredients.
Bro Niu’s tips
This soup is also good for children with phlegm-heat lumps, or for a lung-heat phlegmy cough. If you find the fresh flower too cooling, add ginger and aged tangerine peel to take the edge off.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (MABLE CHEUNG): Urgent — is fresh cereus-flower soup suitable for pregnant women? Bro Niu: Pregnant women generally shouldn’t have any flower teas or flower soups. Cereus is very loosening to the bowel; although it won’t cause contractions, it’s better for pregnant women to avoid it.
- Q (阿文): Fresh cereus can be hard to find — where can I buy it? Bro Niu: Fresh cereus is fairly cooling and mostly blooms in summer and autumn, so people usually use the dried form. Buy the dried product at a good dried-goods or herb shop, or from Chinese or Asian grocers online.
- Q (maymaychan): Would adding ginger and tangerine peel make it gentler and less cooling? Bro Niu: Yes, you can add ginger and aged tangerine peel — no problem; it lessens the cooling nature.
Published July 13, 2011 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
