Soups
Ching Bo Leung (Clear-Tonic-Cooling) Pork Soup
A gentle, balanced tonic traditionally taken to cool and nourish in summer
Why people make this soup
Summer is not the season for heavy tonics — you sweat a lot, the heat is strong, and forceful “tonics” can backfire into dry-mouth, irritability, red lips and eyes. But for people who are run-down, or recovering from illness or surgery, Bro Niu favours the gentle approach: mild ingredients like yam, lotus seed, fox nut, glehnia and Solomon’s seal that clear heat, lightly nourish, and cool and moisten all at once. That balance is exactly what Ching Bo Leung is for.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits people who are run-down or recovering and want a gentle, year-round tonic. Works whether you season it savoury or sweet.
- Skip it while you have a cold or flu.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Chinese yam (huai shan), lotus seed (lian zi), fox nut (qian shi): traditionally used to strengthen the spleen and gently tonify.
- Lily bulb (bai he), glehnia (sha shen), Solomon’s seal (yu zhu): classically associated with nourishing yin and moistening dryness.
- Job’s tears (yi mi): used to clear heat and resolve damp.
- Longan (gui yuan rou), red dates (hong zao), almonds (xing ren): round out the soup with mild nourishment.
Ingredients (4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese yam | ~19 g | Soaked, rinsed |
| Lotus seeds | ~19 g | Soaked, rinsed |
| Fox nuts | ~19 g | Soaked, rinsed |
| Dried lily bulb | ~19 g | Soaked, rinsed |
| Job’s tears | ~19 g | Soaked, rinsed |
| Glehnia root | ~19 g | Soaked, rinsed |
| Solomon’s seal | ~19 g | Soaked, rinsed |
| Longan | ~19 g | Soaked, rinsed |
| Almonds | ~19 g | Soaked, rinsed |
| Red dates | 6 | Or 2 honey dates |
| Lean pork | ~225 g | Blanched |
Method
- Blanch the pork. Soak and rinse all the other ingredients.
- Put everything in a pot with 8 bowls of water and simmer for about 2 hours until reduced to about 4 bowls. Drink the soup and eat the ingredients.
Bro Niu’s tips
This soup works seasoned either savoury or sweet. Apart from when you have a cold or flu, run-down people can drink it often as a gentle tonic. To make it less cooling for children, swap the Job’s tears for black-eyed peas or rice beans.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (Bonnie): Can Ching Bo Leung only be drunk in summer, or is autumn fine too? Bro Niu: Ching Bo Leung clears heat, nourishes mildly and cools-and-moistens — you can drink it any season of the year.
- Q (reader): For children, if I want it less cooling and skip the Job’s tears, what can I use instead? Bro Niu: You can use black-eyed peas or rice beans instead of Job’s tears — they are not cooling.
- Q (reader): Can I add winter melon and carrot, and swap glehnia for codonopsis? Bro Niu: You can add winter melon or carrot. Glehnia is cooling-and-moistening while codonopsis is warming-tonic; better still, swap in a few slices of American ginseng, added only after the soup is done and steeped 5 minutes.
Published June 19, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.
