Tiger Milk Mushroom, Snow Fungus, Lily and Almond Soup

Why people make this soup

Children who start school often enter an almost constant cycle of colds and respiratory infections, and it is common for these to trigger or worsen airway sensitivity — lingering coughs that refuse to fully resolve. Most children resist bitter medicines, so a mild, pleasant-tasting soup that gently strengthens the lungs is a practical alternative for daily wellness support. Tiger milk mushroom is the hero ingredient here: it is a type of sclerotia-forming fungus from Southeast Asia, related to the familiar poria cocos (fu ling), and is known in traditional food therapy as “white Ganoderma.” Before slicing, it looks like a grey ping-pong ball. Its medicinal taste is subtle, making it genuinely suitable for children. Combined with snow fungus, lily bulb and apricot kernels, this soup nourishes the lungs and helps reduce phlegm.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suitable for children and adults of all ages; an excellent household lung-support soup
• Best used after an acute cold or cough has cleared, as a restorative tonic — not during active fever or illness
• If phlegm is yellow and sticky, try a golden luo han guo pear soup first to clear heat phlegm before using this tonic

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Tiger milk mushroom (hu ru ling zhi): A sclerotia fungus from Southeast Asia (Lignosus rhinocerotis); traditionally used to strengthen lung qi and immune resilience; its mild flavour makes it particularly suitable for children
• Snow fungus (xue er): Nourishes lung and stomach yin; moistens dryness; has a gentle demulcent quality that soothes the respiratory tract
• Dried lily bulb (bai he): Traditionally used to moisten the lungs, calm the heart-spirit, and ease restlessness and cough; particularly valued for its calming qualities
• Apricot kernels (nan bei xing): Southern (sweet) and northern (slightly bitter) combined; together they moisten the lungs and help resolve phlegm; the combination is a classic lung-support pairing in Chinese food therapy
• Lean pork: Gentle protein base to make the soup more nourishing

Ingredients (4 bowls)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Tiger milk mushroom (sliced)	9 g	Soak and rinse; if using powder, add 2 teaspoons per bowl at serving
Snow fungus	9 g	Soak until soft; remove base and tear into pieces
Dried lily bulb	38 g	Soak and rinse
Sweet and bitter apricot kernels (combined)	38 g total	Rinse
Lean pork	~150–200 g	Sliced; blanch briefly
Water	8 bowls (~1.6 L)

Method

1. Soak the snow fungus in cold water for 30 minutes until fully expanded. Remove the hard base and tear into smaller pieces.
2. Soak and rinse the tiger milk mushroom slices, lily bulb and apricot kernels.
3. Slice the lean pork and blanch briefly in boiling water; drain.
4. Place all ingredients in a pot with 8 bowls of water.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
6. Serve warm.

Note: If using tiger milk mushroom powder instead of slices, simmer the remaining ingredients for 1 hour, then stir in 2 teaspoons of powder per bowl just before serving.

Bro Niu’s tips

If a child has an active cold, runny nose, or yellow phlegm, it is important to clear that first — try a soup with loquat leaf, dragon tongue leaf or similar cooling herbs to address the acute phase. This tiger milk mushroom soup is a strengthening tonic, best used after the illness has resolved to build up the child’s lung resilience over time. You can also add a carrot and 8 red dates — red dates contain natural antiallergic compounds that can help reduce the body’s tendency to overreact to airway triggers.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (fanny50631, reader): Should the 1 liang of sweet and bitter apricot kernels be 1 liang of each, or 1 liang combined? Bro Niu: Combined — 1 liang total of both mixed together.

• Q (fanny50631, reader): If I use tiger milk mushroom powder instead of slices, when should I add it? Bro Niu: If using the powder, reduce cooking time to 1 hour for the other ingredients. Stir in 2 teaspoons of tiger milk mushroom powder per bowl of hot soup at serving time.

• Q (Man, reader): My child has been coughing for a month. Traditional Chinese medicine hasn’t fully resolved it. The main symptoms are morning cough and occasional cough before sleep and after exercise. What else can help? Bro Niu: This tiger milk mushroom soup is exactly right — give 3 servings, which should help strengthen the lung qi and ease the cough.

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Published June 15, 2017 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.