Coral Grass & Goji Berry Sweet Soup

Why people make this sweet soup

Coral grass — called shan hu cao in Cantonese kitchens — is a type of dried red sea algae that expands dramatically when soaked in water, turning from a small tangle of brittle threads into a generous, jelly-like mass. It is exceptionally high in natural plant fibre, contains multiple minerals, and is sometimes compared to a plant-based collagen source. In the tradition of Cantonese sweet soups (tong sui), coral grass has been prized as an ingredient that gently encourages bowel movement, supports skin clarity, and provides a cooling, gelatinous texture that makes a dessert-like sweet soup satisfying without being heavy. Nourilo particularly recommends it for people who experience frequent constipation, dull or blemished skin, or rough skin texture. Paired with goji berries for their eye and liver associations, and warmed with ginger and brown sugar, this sweet soup is easy to make and pleasant to drink.

Method

1. Soak the coral grass in clean water for a full day (or overnight), changing the water several times until the sea smell is completely gone. The grass will expand significantly.
2. Drain and cut the softened coral grass into shorter pieces with scissors.
3. Rinse the goji berries and soak briefly.
4. Place the coral grass and goji berries into a pot with 1.2 L of water; bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Add the brown sugar (or substitute) and stir until dissolved. Serve warm.

Nourilo’s Tips

This sweet soup is gentle enough for the whole family. If you purchase coral grass from Taiwan (sometimes labelled “han tian”), it may already have been partially cleaned and processed — if it softens within 2 hours of soaking, it is likely ready to use without the full overnight soak. As an alternative, some shops sell pre-packaged combinations such as dried red date, longan, coral grass, and brown sugar that you can simply dissolve in hot water as an instant drink. For a variation, Nourilo also recommends cooking coral grass with longan, red dates, and brown sugar for a blood-nourishing version.