Burdock, Old Cucumber and Dried Duck Gizzard Soup

Why people make this soup

After a string of meals out — too much MSG-heavy food, perhaps — Bro Niu found his throat going dry and uncomfortable, though not yet truly inflamed or painful. So he went straight out for some yin-nourishing, heat-clearing ingredients to simmer a corrective soup. As he says, heading trouble off early always beats treating it once you’re sick. This burdock, old cucumber and dried duck gizzard soup is traditionally used to nourish yin, clear heat, moisten the lungs and ease the throat.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Good for a dry, scratchy throat from too much heating or rich food; also for lingering heat after a cold, with irritability, thirst, sore throat or tender gums. Older folks may also enjoy burdock soup for its traditional vascular benefits.
• The soup is cooling; if you have a cold, weak spleen and stomach, add a couple of slices of tangerine peel (chen pi) to balance it, or go easy.

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Burdock root (niu bang): traditionally used to clear heat and ease the throat.
• Old cucumber (lao huang gua): cooling and clearing, a classic summer soup vegetable for clearing heat.
• Dried figs (wu hua guo): sweet and moistening, they round out the soup and soothe the throat.
• Dried duck gizzard (chen ya shen): adds savoury depth and a clearing quality (it can be left out, or replaced with lean pork, if you prefer).

Ingredients (4 bowls)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Fresh burdock root	2 roots	scrubbed, cut into sections
Old cucumber	1	seeded, cut into chunks
Dried figs	6
Dried duck gizzards	2	soaked and rinsed (optional)

Method

1. Soak and rinse the dried duck gizzards. Scrub the burdock clean and cut into sections.
2. Rinse the old cucumber, split, remove the seeds and cut into chunks.
3. Put everything into the pot with about 8 bowls of water.
4. Simmer down to about 4 bowls and serve.

Bro Niu’s tips

This soup also helps with lingering heat after a cold — irritability, thirst, sore throat, tender gums. The dried duck gizzard mainly adds savoury flavour, so it can be left out, or you can simmer in some pork ribs instead.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Ling): Without the dried duck gizzard — say with hyacinth bean, adzuki bean, black-eyed pea and lean pork — does it still nourish yin, clear heat and moisten the lungs? Bro Niu: You can leave out the dried duck gizzard; it only adds savoury depth.
• Q (Nan Nan /楠楠): I have a slightly dry throat but also occasional colds with thin, clear nasal discharge. Can this soup help, and isn’t it too cooling? Bro Niu: You can drink this soup; if you’re worried about it being cold-natured, add two pieces of tangerine peel (chen pi). For a lot of runny nose, also steep about 6 magnolia buds (xin yi hua) as a tea, with a little honey, once a day until it settles.
• Q (kk): Can I drink burdock soup during a cold? Bro Niu: If the throat is a bit uncomfortable during a cold, you can drink burdock soup — no problem.

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Published September 21, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.