Soups
Cardamine (Tong Ge Cai), Apricot Kernel, Fig and Pork Rib Soup
Traditionally used to clear lingering heat, ease cough and resolve phlegm
Why people make this soup
With weather swinging warm and cold it’s easy to catch a cold, and even after the worst passes some people are left with a scratchy throat, a stubborn cough with phlegm, poor appetite, sluggish digestion and a foggy, tired head. In food-therapy terms that’s lingering heat that hasn’t fully cleared. This pot is Bro Niu’s gentle answer. Cardamine (tong ge cai) is available fresh at Chinese or Asian grocers; choose bunches with few yellowed leaves.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Good for those with lingering heat after a cold — a slightly sore throat, cough with phlegm, poor digestion or tiredness. Healthy people can drink it too, to clear heat and ease cough and phlegm.
- A mild, moistening soup; nothing unusual to watch for.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Cardamine (tong ge cai): traditionally used to clear heat, cool the blood, promote urination and ease cough and phlegm.
- Apricot kernels (nan bei xing): associated with moistening the lungs and easing cough.
- Figs (wu hua guo): associated with soothing the throat and supporting the bowels.
Ingredients (4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cardamine greens (tong ge cai) | ~150 g (4 liang trimmed) | Roots removed, washed, cut |
| North-and-south apricot kernels | ~37 g (1 liang) | Rinsed |
| Dried figs | 5 | Rinsed |
| Pork ribs | ~450 g (12 liang) | Blanched |
Method
- Trim the roots off the cardamine, wash and cut into segments; rinse the apricot kernels and figs; blanch the pork ribs.
- Add everything to a pot with 9 bowls of water and simmer for 2 hours until reduced to 4 bowls.
Bro Niu’s tips
This soup is clear, moistening and pleasant, fine for young and old. It leaves the throat feeling comfortable and is also good for poor digestion and a tired, foggy head.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (Jessica Lui): My nearly-4-year-old still has a cough with phlegm a week after a cold, worse at night, and so does my husband — what soup suits them? Bro Niu: Try 1 liang fresh long lei leaf, 5 qian loquat leaf, 2 dried tangerine cakes, 2 apples and 1 liang apricot kernels in 7 bowls of water boiled 1 hour to 4 bowls — the whole family can drink it; adults split 2 bowls over a day.
- Q (Jessica Lui): If we’re taking Western medicine, can we still make those soups? Bro Niu: Drinking it an hour after taking the medicine is fine.
Published February 27, 2024 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
