Soups
Daylily, Wood Ear and Crucian Carp Soup
Traditionally used to strengthen the spleen and nourish the blood
Why people make this soup
Bro Niu loves using crucian carp for soup — it’s nutritious, the broth is easy for the body to take in, and it simmers up a lovely milky white and tastes wonderful. In the tradition, crucian carp is used to strengthen the spleen, harmonize the middle and support circulation, which makes it kind to those with weak digestion, especially after surgery, illness or childbirth. Paired with daylily, wood ear and red dates, it’s a comforting bowl for anyone feeling depleted, restless or sleeping poorly.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits those with weak digestion, recovering after illness or childbirth, and breastfeeding mothers
- Helpful for those feeling depleted, restless or sleeping unsettled; gentle for young and old
- No specific caution noted
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Crucian carp (ji yu): traditionally strengthens the spleen, harmonizes the middle and supports circulation
- Dried daylily (jin zhen): traditionally associated with nourishing the blood and easing the mood
- Black wood ear (hei mu er): traditionally associated with nourishing and supporting the blood
- Red dates (hong zao): traditionally nourish the blood and calm the mind
- Ginger: warms the soup and balances the fish
Ingredients (1 pot, 4–5 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dried daylily buds | 1 small pinch | Soaked, rinsed |
| White-backed black wood ear | 1–2 pieces | Soaked, stems removed |
| Fresh ginger | 3 slices | |
| Red dates | 4 | Pitted |
| White crucian carp | 1 | Cleaned, pan-fried |
| Lean pork | ~150 g (4 liang) | Sliced, blanched |
Method
- Soak and rinse the daylily and wood ear; remove the wood-ear stems. Pit the red dates. Clean the crucian carp and pan-fry lightly in a little oil. Slice and blanch the lean pork.
- Bring 7 bowls of water to a vigorous boil with all the ingredients, then lower to medium-low and simmer 30 minutes. Serve with the soup contents.
Bro Niu’s tips
Crucian carp comes in white and black varieties; the black kind lives in poorer water, can taste muddy and may carry more heavy metals, so choose white crucian carp. For wood ear, the best has a grey-white back and a glossy black top. This soup suits young and old, and is especially good for new and breastfeeding mothers.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (reader): A viral infection may have turned into pneumonia — constant cough and fever. What food therapy or soup can help me recover? Bro Niu: Houttuynia is very helpful for pneumonia. Simmer fresh houttuynia (4 liang), apricot kernels (1 liang) and 4 figs (halved) in a lean pork soup for about 20 minutes — fresh houttuynia shouldn’t cook too long or it loses potency. Take for 3 days.
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Q (Jessica): The pneumonia is better, but I’m still coughing a lot. What food therapy can help? Bro Niu: If there’s no fever, simmer tiger-milk mushroom (3 qian), apricot kernels (1 liang), white fungus (2 qian) and 4 figs in a lean pork soup for about 1.5 hours; the whole family can drink it, and you can eat the white fungus and figs. You can also simmer 2 apples with apricot kernels and figs for 20 minutes and take it in 2 cups over the day.
Published April 27, 2026 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.
