Soups
Watercress, Golden Monk Fruit and Pork Shin Soup
traditionally used to moisten the lungs, clear phlegm, soothe a sore or hoarse throat, and support bowel regularity
Why people make this soup
Watercress and monk fruit soup is one of the most widely made Cantonese home soups during the cooler months — familiar to anyone who grew up in a Cantonese household. It is made for more situations than just simple coughs: Chinese medicine holds that most inflammatory conditions in the body involve a degree of heat, which causes fluids to thicken and accumulate as phlegm. Watercress, which is one of the most nutritionally dense leafy vegetables, is cooling and phlegm-resolving. Bro Niu uses the golden variety of monk fruit in this recipe — a form that is dried slowly at low temperature, producing a clean, clear sweetness without the smoky notes of conventional kiln-dried monk fruit. The result is a broth that is genuinely pleasant to drink and not at all medicinal in taste. It is particularly helpful for those whose coughs persist after a cold, or who spend long hours in front of screens, or who smoke or drink regularly.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suitable for anyone with lung-heat type cough: thick or yellow phlegm, dry or hoarse throat, dry lips or constipation.
- Beneficial for smokers, drinkers, those who work late nights, or people with generally inflamed lymph nodes.
- For spleen-deficient people with mostly white, watery phlegm, add extra dried tangerine peel and southern apricot kernels (nan xing) to reduce the cooling nature of the soup.
- NOT suitable for: pregnant women, women during menstruation, or those with a cold-type constitution. Please see a doctor for serious lung conditions.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Watercress (xi yang cai): Considered cooling and mildly bitter. Traditionally associated with clearing lung heat, dissolving phlegm, detoxifying, and supporting bowel regularity. Must be added only when the broth is at a rolling boil, or the finished soup will have an unpleasant bitter aftertaste.
- Golden monk fruit (jin luo han guo): A low-heat dried variety of monk fruit with a clear, clean sweetness. Traditionally used to clear lung heat, soothe sore throats, and relieve cough. Contains natural mogrosides, which provide sweetness without affecting blood sugar.
- Dried figs (wu hua guo): Sweet and neutral. Traditionally considered lung-nourishing, helpful for soothing throat irritation and supporting digestion.
- Dried tangerine peel (chen pi): Warms the stomach and transforms phlegm, while counterbalancing the cooling nature of the other ingredients so the soup is not too cold overall.
- Pork shin (zhu zhan): A lean, gelatinous cut that gives the broth body and protein without excessive fat.
Ingredients (about 4 bowls, 3–4 servings)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Watercress | ~300 g (half a jin) | Rinse well; add only after the broth is boiling |
| Golden monk fruit | 1 whole | Rinse, then crack open into pieces |
| Dried figs | 3 | |
| Dried tangerine peel | 1 piece | Soak and scrape off white pith |
| Pork shin | 1 piece (~300–400 g) | Cut open; blanch to remove impurities |
Method
- Rinse the watercress and set aside. Do not add it yet.
- Rinse the golden monk fruit, then crack it open into several pieces to help release the flavour.
- Soak the dried tangerine peel until soft; scrape off the white pith if desired.
- Cut open the pork shin and blanch in boiling water to remove impurities; drain.
- Place the pork shin, golden monk fruit pieces, dried figs, and tangerine peel in a pot with 10 bowls of water (about 2.4 litres).
- Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the watercress.
- When it returns to a boil, reduce to a medium-low simmer and cook for 2 hours.
- Serve the soup with the watercress and pork shin.
Bro Niu’s tips
The key step is adding the watercress only after the broth has come to a full rolling boil — if you add it to cold or warm water and cook it from the start, the finished soup will be noticeably bitter and unpleasant. This soup is also an ideal food-therapy approach for lung ailments such as chronic bronchitis. Red carrot can be added for extra sweetness and colour, which works beautifully. Golden monk fruit is now widely available at herbal shops and some supermarkets; conventional smoke-dried monk fruit is a usable substitute, but the flavour will be different.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (queenie, reader — post voice-cord surgery): I had polyp removal surgery on my vocal cords and have white phlegm and occasional coughing. I tend to have spleen deficiency — can I still drink this soup? Bro Niu: Yes, you can. Just add an extra piece of tangerine peel and about one liang of mixed apricot kernels (nan bei xing) to the pot — this will reduce the cooling nature of the watercress and golden monk fruit so that the soup is better balanced for your constitution.
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Q (Helen, reader): A nurse friend has been coughing for weeks with yellow phlegm during the day but no cough at night. She has already taken antibiotics with little effect and doesn’t have time to see a doctor. What do you suggest? Bro Niu: Try one tangerine-peel orange (jubi, the preserved whole tangerine), one cored snow pear, and one piece of dried tangerine peel in five bowls of water, cooked down to two bowls. Take for three doses. If there is no improvement, she really should see a doctor.
Published February 14, 2019 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.
