Fresh Yam, Codonopsis and Quail Soup

Why people make this soup

It is heartbreaking to watch a child who barely recovers from one cold before catching another. Some children seem to fall into this cycle as soon as they start nursery or school, and their parents start looking for ways to support their immune resilience from the inside. In Chinese food-therapy, this pattern of repeated respiratory infections in children is often attributed to insufficient qi — the body’s vital energy — making it harder to mount a strong defence against the inevitable stream of germs that circulate in early childhood. The advice is to use gentle, nourishing soups between illness episodes to gradually strengthen the constitution. This soup stars quail, which Chinese tradition has called “the ginseng of poultry” for centuries — a small bird with a remarkable nutritional profile, mild and easy for children to digest. Paired with codonopsis root (a gentle, ginseng-like tonic), fresh Chinese yam, and red dates, this makes a sweet, comforting soup that the whole family can share.

Method

1. Clean and gut the quails (ask your butcher to do this if preferred); blanch in boiling water for 2–3 minutes, then drain and rinse.
2. Rinse the codonopsis root and red dates; peel the fresh yam and cut into chunks.
3. Combine all ingredients in a pot with 2.4 L of water.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a low simmer for approximately 2 hours until 1.2 L remain.
5. Serve warm. The whole family can drink it; children should have a smaller serving of 1 bowl.

Nourilo’s Tips

Quail can be harder to find than chicken, but larger supermarkets in Chinese neighbourhoods and Asian grocery stores often carry frozen quail year-round — they typically come in packs of two. If you cannot find quail at all, half a silkie chicken (zhu si ji) or one partridge makes an excellent substitute with a similar nourishing quality. This soup can also be made using the double-steaming method (隔水炖) for 3 hours if you prefer. Between illness episodes, for an additional preventive boost, Nourilo recommends the classic jade windscreen formula (yu ping feng san — astragalus, white atractylodes, and siler root, each 11 g), available as a ready-made granule from many Chinese pharmacy chains, and very convenient for busy families.