Soups
Tiger Milk Mushroom, Snow Fungus, Almond and Quail Soup
Traditionally used to support the lung qi and build resistance
Why people make this soup
Dry weather, and a few fried, crispy snacks, can quickly leave the throat parched and the lungs dry and coughing — so Bro Niu likes a lung-moistening pot in this season. He had some tiger milk mushroom on hand and thought of a soup for those with weak lungs. Tiger milk mushroom is a prized fungus from Southeast Asia. Many little ones just starting nursery catch one respiratory bug after another — barely recovered before the next cold lands, to every parent’s despair. So he simmers tiger milk mushroom with snow fungus, lily bulb and almond into a quail soup: gentle support for a child’s lung qi and resistance.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Good for those with weak lung qi and children prone to repeated colds and coughs.
- Traditionally also valued by cancer patients who are weak during chemotherapy.
- Do NOT use during a cold with fever — tonic soups are unsuitable while a fever is active.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Tiger milk mushroom (hu ru ling zhi): a prized Southeast Asian fungus, traditionally used to support the lungs and the body; valued for its polysaccharides.
- Snow fungus (xue er): a classic moistening food for the throat and lungs.
- Apricot kernels (nan xing): traditional partners for a lung-moistening, cough-settling soup.
- Lily bulb (bai he): traditionally moistens the lungs and settles the mind.
- Figs and ginger: add sweetness and warmth and round out the broth.
Ingredients (4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tiger milk mushroom | ~11 g | soaked, washed |
| Snow fungus | ~11 g | soaked, washed |
| Sweet apricot kernels | ~38 g | soaked, washed |
| Dried lily bulb | ~38 g | soaked, washed |
| Figs | 4 | rinsed |
| Fresh ginger | 3 slices | |
| Quail | 2 | cleaned, blanched |
Method
- Clean and dress the quail, then blanch.
- Separately soak and wash the other ingredients.
- Simmer everything in 9 bowls of water for 2 hours down to 4 bowls, and serve.
Bro Niu’s tips
This soup has little herbal taste and is fine for all ages. Because tiger milk mushroom carries polysaccharides, it is traditionally valued by cancer patients who feel weak during chemotherapy. But anyone with a cold and fever should not take tonic soups.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (Natalie): Our family of three caught influenza A and took Tamiflu. What soup can we make once we are better? My daughter, husband and I still have cough and phlegm. Bro Niu: Try one green papaya (peeled, cored), snow fungus ~11 g, apricot kernels ~38 g and 3 figs in a lean-pork soup, simmered about 1.5 hours — the whole family can drink it, and it is fine with a cough and phlegm as long as there is no fever.
- Q (reader): My child started a fever last night with a cough. I made tiger milk mushroom, crocodile meat and sea-coconut soup to stop the cough, then realised the fever had not broken — should I hold off on the soup? Bro Niu: A child with a fever should not have tonic soups, or the illness can take hold. Instead use lu gen 5 qian, dan zhu ye 3 qian, raw yi mi ~38 g and one cored snow pear in 5 bowls of water down to 2 — it helps clear heat; two servings.
- Q (Daisy): What food therapy suits a woman with a true cold pattern? Bro Niu: For a cold stomach, keep everything warm. You can use dang shen, bei qi, goji, ginger and red dates in a chicken soup, or make a “four-spirits” (si shen) soup to strengthen the spleen and stomach — adding red dates, ginger or tangerine peel is even better.
Published November 23, 2023 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.
