Soups
Snow Pear and Cogongrass Root Soup
traditionally used to clear lung heat, ease phlegm-cough, and reduce stomach fire
Why people make this soup
Snow pear is a gentle, nourishing fruit that has been used in Cantonese kitchens for generations to address the lingering cough that tends to follow a cold or a week of too much fried food. In Chinese food therapy, there are two broad patterns of cough: one cold and damp (often worse at night, with thin clear or white phlegm), and one hot and dry (with yellow or thick phlegm, bad breath, a dry or burning sensation, and sometimes dark urine). This soup is firmly in the territory of the second type. It cools, moistens, and helps the lungs move phlegm and restore comfortable breathing.
The good news for parents: this soup tastes naturally sweet and pleasant from the pear and the touch of sugar. Children who normally refuse “bitter medicine teas” tend to accept this one without complaint.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Children and adults with a heat-pattern cough: yellow or thick phlegm, dry mouth, bad breath, dark urine, or a flushed feeling after illness or overindulging in spicy/fried food
- Children with post-illness bad breath and mouth heat will benefit in particular
- NOT suited for cold-pattern coughs — if the phlegm is clear and white, the tongue has a white coat, or symptoms are worse in cold weather, this soup can make things worse; use a warming recipe instead (Bro Niu suggests a cooked apple version for cold-pattern cough)
- Pears are cool in nature; if a child’s constitution tends towards cold or loose stools, add a few red dates or honey dates (mi zao) to warm and balance
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Snow pear (xue li): Cool, sweet, and moistening. Traditionally used to clear heat from the lungs and stomach, dissolve phlegm, and stop cough. Cooking it reduces its cooling intensity while preserving the lubricating and phlegm-clearing properties.
- Cogongrass root (bai mao gen): A common ingredient in Chinese cooling teas. Traditionally used to clear heat from the lungs and stomach, stop nosebleeds and fever, cool the blood, and promote urination. Available fresh at Chinese or Asian grocers; dried root (5 g) can be substituted if fresh is unavailable.
- Mulberry leaf (sang ye): Gently disperses wind-heat, soothes the throat, and benefits the lungs. Available from Chinese herb shops.
- Brown or rock sugar: Adds a gentle sweetness and mild moistening quality; rock sugar (bing tang) is slightly cooler and more neutral than brown sugar.
Ingredients (3 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Snow pear (xue li) | 2 medium | Wash, core, and slice — keep the skin on |
| Fresh cogongrass root (bai mao gen) | 1 bundle (~50 g) | Rinse and cut into sections; substitute 5 g dried if fresh unavailable; available at Chinese or Asian grocers, or online |
| Mulberry leaf (sang ye) | 10 g (3 qian) | Rinse briefly; from Chinese herb shops |
| Brown sugar or rock sugar (pian tang / bing tang) | To taste | Add at the end and stir to dissolve |
| Water | 5 bowls (~1 litre) |
Method
- Wash and core the pears; slice (keep the skin for extra flavour and nutrients).
- Rinse the cogongrass root and cut into shorter sections. Rinse the mulberry leaf.
- Place all ingredients except sugar in a pot with 5 bowls of water.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer for about 1 hour until the liquid reduces to about 3 bowls.
- Add sugar to taste, stir to dissolve, and serve warm. Drink the soup and eat the pear.
Bro Niu’s tips
Children generally enjoy this soup because the pear makes it naturally sweet and the medicinal taste is mild. It is one of the more child-friendly cooling soups in the repertoire — worth making in larger quantities during the cooler months when respiratory infections are common. For a child with a very strong stomach and heat pattern, you can add a small amount of apricot kernels (nan bei xing, 37.5 g together) to boost the phlegm-clearing effect. If using dried pear instead of fresh, use about 37.5 g (1 liang) and be sure to remove any seeds, as pear seeds carry mild toxicity. For adults with stomach heat and bad breath, this soup is helpful for that too — it clears heat from both the lungs and the stomach.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (Fiona, child 3 years, yellow nasal discharge and phlegm, mouth odour): Would this soup help? Can I use dried pear instead of fresh pear? Bro Niu: Yes, this soup suits your daughter’s condition — yellow phlegm and discharge are heat signs, and this soup targets exactly that pattern. For dried pear, it can be used; the taste is not quite as pleasant but it works. Remove any seeds first.
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Q (Yan): My child drank this soup and then coughed even more afterward. Is it too cooling for him? Bro Niu: Your child may not be suited to cooling soups. For dry cough, try a gentler formula: ophiopogon root (mai dong, 10 g), platycodon (jie geng, 10 g), and licorice root (gan cao, 3 g) simmered in water for 15 minutes — this moistens and soothes without cooling too strongly.
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Q (po yu): For a 3-year-old, what is the right amount and how many days should they drink it? Bro Niu: A 3-year-old can have 2 small bowls a day. Three doses should be enough to clear the phlegm — if not improved after that, it is worth seeing a doctor.
Published March 15, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.
