Chinese Yam, Lotus Seed, and Pork Shin Soup

Why people make this soup

Once children start school, they enter a world of shared classrooms, shared air, and shared germs. Many parents find their child cycles through one cold after another, and each round of medication seems to leave them a little paler and more listless than before. In traditional Chinese food therapy, this pattern — poor appetite, dull complexion, fatigue, restless sleep — points to what practitioners call “spleen qi deficiency,” meaning the digestive system is not efficiently converting food into energy and resilience. Chinese yam and lotus seeds are the two most classic ingredients used to address this, combining gentle tonification with a calming effect on the mind. The result is a mild, naturally sweet soup that children generally accept willingly.

This soup is not a treatment — it is a habit. Served two or three times a week alongside a balanced diet, it supports the body’s own capacity to stay healthy and recover well.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suitable for children of all ages, including babies as young as 10 months (in appropriate amounts — about half a bowl)
• Also ideal for adults recovering from illness, those who feel chronically fatigued, or anyone with a weak digestive system
• Do not serve during active fever or acute illness — wait until the child has recovered before resuming
• Red dates: those with strong internal dampness may benefit from removing the date seeds before cooking
• Southern dates (nan zao) can replace red dates without issue

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Chinese yam (huai shan): Sweet, neutral, and one of the gentlest spleen tonics in the Chinese food-therapy tradition; supports digestive function and helps the body absorb nutrients more efficiently
• Lotus seeds (lian zi): Sweet and slightly astringent; associated with calming the mind, supporting restful sleep, and strengthening the digestive system; best with the bitter green core (lian xin) removed for children to avoid bitterness
• Red dates (hong zao): Gently supplementing to qi and blood; add a natural sweetness to the broth
• Tangerine peel (chen pi): Helps move qi in the stomach, preventing the soup from feeling heavy; aids digestion and gives the broth a subtle aromatic quality
• Pork shin (zhu zhan): A lean, collagen-rich cut that enriches the broth without being too fatty; in food therapy pork is considered mildly yin-nourishing

Ingredients (4 bowls)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Chinese yam (dried)	1 liang (~38 g)	Or 3 liang fresh (~113 g)
Lotus seeds (dried)	1 liang (~38 g)	Or 2 liang fresh; remove bitter core
Red dates	6 pieces	Those with dampness issues: remove seeds
Dried tangerine peel	1 piece	Soak and scrape off white pith if desired
Pork shin	1 whole (~300 g)	Blanch in boiling water first to remove impurities
Water	8 bowls

Method

1. Blanch the pork shin in boiling water for 3–5 minutes. Rinse under cold water and cut into large chunks. This removes surface impurities and produces a clearer broth.
2. Rinse and soak Chinese yam, lotus seeds, red dates, and tangerine peel in cold water for about 15–20 minutes. Drain.
3. Place all ingredients in a pot with 8 bowls of water.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 2 hours until the liquid reduces to about 4 bowls.
5. Season lightly with a pinch of salt if desired, or serve unseasoned for a naturally sweet broth.
6. Serve warm. Eat the soup ingredients along with the broth — the lotus seeds and yam are particularly nourishing.

Bro Niu’s tips

The real benefit of this soup comes from eating the solid ingredients, not just drinking the liquid — encourage children to eat the lotus seeds and yam pieces too. For best results, serve this two to three times a week as part of a regular routine, not just when the child is already ill. For those recovering from gastroenteritis or stomach upset, you can add a pinch of fresh ginger and a bit of Qian Shi (foxnut) to help settle digestion more quickly.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Norababy): My 3-year-old daughter had a high fever of 39–40 degrees, now finally brought down. She’s pale, her hands and feet are cold, she has some night sweating, and she’s been snoring at night. What soup is appropriate right now? Bro Niu: After a high fever, the body is depleted. Try Chinese yam, foxnut, red dates, and millet porridge — add a pinch of tangerine peel and ginger. For the snoring,辛夷花 (magnolia flower buds) steeped in tea in the evenings can help open the nasal passages. Avoid sweet snacks and cold drinks for her during recovery.

• Q (Roy): My daughter has long-term poor appetite — she takes two bites and says she is full. She catches colds and fevers easily. What soup do you suggest? Bro Niu: You can go to a Chinese pharmacy and get Xiang Sha Yang Wei Wan — take it every day or every other day for one bottle to help strengthen her spleen and stomach. For food therapy, Chinese yam, lotus seeds, foxnut, and poria (fu ling), each 1 liang, with tangerine peel and 6 red dates cooked with pork ribs for 2 hours. Whole family can drink it, twice a week.

• Q (mandy): Can a 10-month-old baby drink this? Bro Niu: This soup is very mild — a 10-month-old can drink it. As long as you are not using strong warming herbs like ginseng or antler velvet, most gentle food-therapy soups like this one are fine for babies. Just give a smaller amount — about half a bowl is plenty.

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Published August 31, 2012 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.