Snow Pear and Cogongrass Root Soup

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.

Method

1. Wash and core the pears; slice (keep the skin for extra flavour and nutrients).
2. Rinse the cogongrass root and cut into shorter sections. Rinse the mulberry leaf.
3. Place all ingredients except sugar in a pot with 1.5 L of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer for about 1 hour until the liquid reduces to about 900 ml.
5. Add sugar to taste, stir to dissolve, and serve warm. Drink the soup and eat the pear.

Nourilo’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 (38 g) 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.