Soups
Radish Seed, Fritillaria and Partridge Soup
Traditionally eases phlegm and cough
Why people make this soup
For phlegmy children, Bro Niu often points parents to perilla seed and radish seed cooked into congee. Radish seed is simply the seed of the white radish, traditionally associated with easing food stagnation and settling phlegm and wheeze. Here he pairs it with fritillaria for hot, dry, phlegmy coughs, and adds partridge — a mild bird traditionally thought to support the organs without being heating — because children who cough easily are often a little weak in the lungs.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Traditionally chosen for children (and adults) coughing up thick, yellow, sticky phlegm — a “hot-phlegm” cough.
- Bro Niu cautions that those with thin, watery white phlegm, low energy, or loose stools should not drink it. Radish seed should not be combined with qi-tonifying herbs like ginseng. If a child has a fever, see a doctor first.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Radish seed (lai fu zi): Traditionally associated with easing food stagnation and settling phlegm and wheeze; gentle and well-tolerated.
- Fritillaria (chuan bei): Traditionally used for hot, dry coughs with phlegm.
- Tangerine peel & ginger: Add warmth and aroma and help balance the soup.
- Partridge (zhe gu): Traditionally associated with easing phlegm and gently nourishing the organs.
Ingredients (4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Radish seed | ~11 g | Rinse |
| Fritillaria | ~11 g | Rinse |
| Tangerine peel | 1 piece | |
| Fresh ginger | 2 slices | |
| Red dates | 4 | Pitted |
| Frozen partridge | 1 | Cleaned, blanched |
Method
- Soak and rinse the radish seed and fritillaria separately.
- Pit the red dates.
- Clean the partridge and blanch it in boiling water.
- Bring everything to a boil in 8 bowls of water and simmer about 90 minutes, down to 4 bowls.
Bro Niu’s tips
This fragrant soup suits young and old, but it is best for those coughing up thick yellow phlegm — a hot-phlegm cough. Those with thin white phlegm, low energy or loose stools should not drink it, and radish seed should not be used together with qi-tonifying herbs like ginseng.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (reader): My 4-year-old has coughed for half a month with lots of phlegm, sometimes yellow, sometimes clear mucus — what food therapy can help, and how to support a weak constitution? Bro Niu: Put perilla seed and radish seed, 3 qian each, in a tea bag and cook with red-date millet congee to ease phlegm and cough — millet congee is very good for the spleen and stomach. Or simmer Chinese yam, poria, lotus seed and fox nut in red-date, tangerine-peel and lean pork soup; the whole family can drink it.
- Q (reader): My 20-month-old has thin white phlegm and no appetite after a fever — what soup is good? Bro Niu: For a toddler’s phlegmy cough, put perilla seed and radish seed, 3 qian each, in a tea bag and cook lean-pork congee with it for 3 servings to ease phlegm and cough and support the spleen.
- Q (Yan): My 9-year-old has coughed badly for a week despite Western medicine, now with bronchitis on antibiotics — what soup helps, and how to recover from too much medicine afterward? Bro Niu: Steam one onion (sliced) over water for half an hour, press out the juice, and give it twice a day to ease cough. After recovery, simmer black soybean (1 liang) with licorice (2 qian) for 45 minutes, 3 servings, to help clear medicine residue.
Published May 16, 2023 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.
