Soups
Fresh Sauropus Leaf, Almond, Three-Fruit and Carrot Soup
Traditionally clears lung heat and eases cough and phlegm
Why people make this soup
Bro Niu says a lot of people — including the postpartum-care students he teaches — come to him after recovering from a cold or COVID still coughing and clogged with phlegm, asking what to cook. It’s very common, he reassures them. Fresh sauropus leaf is his go-to: gentle in nature, faintly sweet, with no medicinal taste, so even children won’t refuse it. Simmered with apple, pear, carrot, almond and monk fruit, the soup comes out clear and sweet.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Traditionally chosen by people with a lingering cough and phlegm, a scratchy throat, or dry stools after a cold or COVID. Bro Niu notes it suits both “cold-type” and “hot-type” coughs, and is gentle enough to drink while taking Western medicine (space them about an hour apart).
- He prefers monk fruit over rock sugar here, since rock sugar can encourage phlegm. For a “cold-type” cough, skip the monk fruit and pear and add two pieces of tangerine peel instead. One reader confirms it is fine in pregnancy.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Fresh sauropus leaf (long li ye): Mild and neutral; traditionally used for lung-heat and dry coughs and throat discomfort.
- Apple & snow pear: Naturally sweet and moistening; traditionally associated with soothing the lungs and throat.
- Carrot (gan sun): Adds natural sweetness and body to the soup.
- Almonds (nan bei xing): Traditionally associated with moistening the lungs and easing cough.
- Monk fruit (luo han guo): Traditionally used to soothe the throat and ease phlegm, sweetening without the phlegm-promoting tendency of rock sugar.
Ingredients (4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh sauropus leaf | ~75 g | Or ~38 g dried for 4 servings |
| Apples | 2 | Cored, with skin |
| Snow pears | 2 | Cored, with skin |
| Carrot | 1 | Peeled, chunked |
| North & south almonds | ~38 g | |
| Monk fruit | half |
Method
- Wash the fresh sauropus leaf.
- Wash the apples and pears with their skins on, core them, and cut into chunks.
- Peel and chunk the carrot.
- Rinse the almonds and monk fruit.
- Bring everything to a boil in 7 bowls of water and simmer for 1 hour, down to 4 bowls.
Bro Niu’s tips
This clear, sweet soup suits anyone with throat discomfort, frequent coughing with phlegm, or dry, sluggish bowels after a cold or COVID — both cold-type and hot-type coughs can drink it. The photo uses ordinary monk fruit, but the more fragrant low-temperature-baked “golden” monk fruit works nicely too.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (Sandy): Six months pregnant with a cold — can I drink this soup? Bro Niu: Yes, you can drink this soup during pregnancy, no problem.
- Q (reader): Is sauropus leaf suitable for all coughs — cold-type, hot-type, bronchial? Bro Niu: Sauropus leaf is sweet, bland and neutral, mainly for lung-heat and dry coughs, but paired with neutral apple and almond it also suits bronchial-sensitive coughs. For a cold-type cough, leave out the monk fruit and pear and add two pieces of tangerine peel.
- Q (Cindy): I could only find dried sauropus leaf — how much for this soup? Bro Niu: For 4 servings, use about 38 g of the dried.
Published May 10, 2023 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.
