Ginkgo Nut, Walnut, Almond and Pork Lung Soup

Why people make this soup

When a child has a weak constitution and catches every cold that comes around — and when each cold turns into a cough that lingers for weeks, sometimes progressing to a wheeze or retching — families look for ways to gently strengthen the lungs over time. This soup is not for the acute phase of illness (especially not when there is fever), but rather as a recovery and maintenance soup once the worst has passed. Ginkgo nuts, walnuts, and pork lung work together in the Chinese food-therapy framework to warm and nourish lung and kidney energy, helping to rebuild the body’s respiratory resilience. The approach also emphasizes good hygiene and frequent handwashing as the first line of defense.

Method

1. Clean the pork lung: attach it to a tap and fill with water, then squeeze out and repeat several times until the water runs fairly clear. Cut into chunks and blanch in boiling water; drain and rinse.
2. Blanch the pork bones separately in boiling water; drain.
3. Shell the ginkgo nuts and carefully remove the inner green core (embryo) from each nut.
4. Rinse remaining ingredients.
5. Place all ingredients into a pot with 2.4 L of water.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for about 2 hours until reduced to approximately 1.2–1.5 L.
7. Serve and eat both the soup and the solid ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

For children, Nourilo’s guideline on ginkgo nuts is simple and practical: one year of age, one nut; two years old, two nuts — and so on proportionally. For a pot serving the whole family, 15–20 nuts is appropriate. The inner green core (embryo) must always be removed before cooking — it contains higher concentrations of the alkaloids responsible for toxicity. This soup is a tonic for between illnesses, not during active fever. For a child currently running a fever with phlegmy cough, use a different, more clearing recipe first (such as north apricot kernel with loquat leaf and pear), and come back to this one during recovery.