Soups
Ginger and Garlic Soup
Traditionally used to dispel cold and warm the stomach during flu season
Why people make this soup
When flu is going around, the elderly and young children tend to be most vulnerable. An ordinary cold brings chills, headache, a stuffy heavy-sounding nose, sneezing, a scratchy throat and lots of phlegm; flu hits harder, with high stubborn fever, splitting headache, body aches and exhaustion. Better to head trouble off early — so during flu season Bro Niu likes to simmer garlic and ginger into a brew you can sip like tea. Garlic is associated with antibacterial and immune support, and ginger with warming and inducing a light sweat. Together they make a warming, stomach-friendly soup.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits people wanting a warming preventive brew during flu season; also for the early scratchy-throat, runny-nose, forehead-ache stage of a cold.
- For young children (e.g. under two), use only a little ginger.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Garlic (suan tou): associated with antibacterial action and supporting immune function; purple-skinned single-clove garlic is considered stronger than white.
- Ginger (sheng jiang): traditionally induces a light sweat and warms; its pungent compounds are associated with soothing and antibacterial effects.
- Brown sugar (hong tang): warms and rounds out the brew.
Ingredients (1–2 servings)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh ginger | ~19 g (5 qian) | Peel and slice; less for young children |
| Purple single-clove garlic | ~38 g (1 tael) | Ordinary garlic works too |
| Brown / red sugar | 1 tbsp | Stir in to dissolve |
Method
- Peel the ginger and garlic; slice.
- Simmer in water about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the brown sugar until dissolved. Sip any time.
Bro Niu’s tips
Purple-skinned single-clove garlic has stronger antibacterial action than white-skinned garlic, so it’s worth using often in soups and dishes. Ordinary single-clove garlic works just as well if the purple-skinned variety is not available.
Community questions answered (selected)
-
Q (Man): Can a 21-month-old drink this? Will ginger-boiled water be too heating for a small child? Bro Niu: For a young child put in less ginger — then it’s fine to drink.
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Q (虾米 / reader): For a cold with a scratchy throat, runny nose and forehead headache, can I use this ginger-and-garlic brew? Bro Niu: Yes, you can drink this soup for its gentle sweat-inducing effect. You can also simmer Vietnamese mint with coriander, scallion and fish slices to help ease the headache.
-
Q (piaget): I can only find small white garlic — is that also “da suan” (garlic)? Bro Niu: The small heads that contain separate cloves inside are also garlic.
Published September 10, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
