Rumor has it that this winter in Beijing will be even colder than the last. Considering last winter was one of the coldest in Beijing history and necessitated my purchasing not one, but TWO down jackets to make it through to spring without losing limbs to frostbite, I am more than a little worried. Not only does the prospect of mind-numbing cold displease me, Beijing’s desert climate adds another layer of issues – my body feels intensely dry both inside and out, and I invariably will develop a hacking cough that for once has nothing to do with the pollution. I know, I sound grouchy. My solution this year is to shut up, and just drink loads of this ancient recipe to combat the inevitable dry cough that will invade shortly.
Actually, it’s more of a fruity syrup than a savory soup, but it works wonders in battling the elements. Asian pears are known for it’s rehydrating and cooling properties, but the real magic lies in these mysterious little beans: Fritillariae Cirrhosae (chuanbeimu 川貝母)(see picture above). This pea-sized bulb is used in Chinese medicine to cure coughs and other lung ailments by helping to moisten the throat and lungs, as well as suppressing coughs and helping dispel phlegm. It’s bitterness is virtually indiscernible under the sweetness of the pear and rock sugar. Just for kicks and a little creative self-medication, I threw in Chinese almonds and goji berries. According to TCM, almonds are an emolient and anti-inflammatory, and goji berries (also called wolfberries) are full of antioxidants. Thus, why not? Also, the soup is just so much more attractive with a few goji.
Drinking a bowl or two of this soup is guaranteed to sooth your throat, and help out with any nasty coughs this winter. For those of you in Beijing – chuanbeimu aren’t easily found, but shops selling TCM or soup herbs should have it. I got mine at my friendly nut lady (as in seller of nuts, not nutty) in Sanyuanli market.
Ingredients
- a few Asian pears (white or brown skinned would do). About 2-3 cups, chopped into big chunks.
- 1 cup rock sugar
- small handful (10-15) chuanbeimu (if you have a mortar and pestle, grind them coarsely)
- small handful of goji berries
- small handful of Chinese almonds (the white, skinless type)
1. Chop up your pears into big slices (leave out the core). Mine where mini-pears, bought off the back of a horse-drawn wagon on my street corner, so I used about 5-6.
2. Toss all ingredients in a pot, pour in enough water to cover the pears (plus another inch or two, depending on how syrupy you want the soup), and simmer on low heat for 1-2 hours. Traditional recipes call for double-boiling – coring the pear and filling it in with the chuanbeimu, then simmering for 8-plus hours. Frankly, I don’t care enough to go through that type of effort – the soup would be richer and clearer, but tossing everything in a pot works just fine.
3. Drink up! Traditionally, you could also just sieve the ingredients out and drink the clear soup. I enjoy eating the sweet pears and munching on goji berries, so I just eat it all up. Both are equally good for your throat.
I was stricken with a nasty cold a couple weeks ago and my colleague prescribed this exact same thing! Like a pear soup/syrup.
ah! finally i realize it’s the key ingredient in pipagao…. my favorite cough syrup as a child.
You can also throw in a few Large dried dates (http://www.thechinesesouplady.com/large-dried-dates/) for natural sweetness and you may find that you don’t need the rock sugar
The Asian pears, according to my old Dad, who was a TCM doctor, has to be the “Duck Beak Pear” from Tianjin. You can buy this pear in any Chinese market now, the top part of the pear has one tip a little bit over the other, thus the name duck beak.
I thoroughly approve of DIY “food therapy” as traditional Chinese medicine, especially by those of us that have no medical training and especially when most of the ingredients are sweet and already known to taste good.
This soup sounds so good for the winter. Excellent pictures, too.
Wow this soup reminds me of my childhood. I used to have this every winter when I was like. Now I am on a mission to find Fritillariae Cirrhosa at my local Chinese supermarkets.