Cordyceps Flower, Lily Bulb and Partridge Soup

Why people make this soup

Wild cordyceps keeps getting pricier, so home cooks have warmed to cordyceps flower (the cultivated fruiting body, also called “golden cordyceps”) — it carries cordycepin too and is far more affordable. Simmered with lily bulb, apricot kernels and partridge, it makes a gentle, non-heating soup that Nourilo likes for people with a weak, drawn-out cough, including those prone to bronchial wheeze. Note the broth turns a natural orange-yellow from the cordyceps flower — that’s its own colour, not dye.

Method

1. Clean and blanch the partridge. Soak and rinse the lily bulb and apricot kernels.
2. Put everything into the pot with about 2.4 L of water.
3. Simmer about 3 hours. Eat both the soup and the ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

Cordyceps flower is nourishing yet mild — “tonifying without being heating” — so twice a week is no problem. The soup also offers comfort to people who feel forgetful or sleep poorly. If you can’t find partridge, quail or organic free-range chicken works in its place.