Soup Name: Loquat soup

Traditional Chinese Name: 川貝枇杷湯 (chuān bèi pípá tāng)

Introduction:
A great soup for nourishing the lungs, helping with coughs and reducing phlegm.  The ingredients are very herbal focused and most often used in Chinese medicine to help with lung deficiencies and rejuvenation and healing.  For children, use less herbal and more natural ingredients (like vegetables).  I made this soup with fish, but you can make it with pork instead.

What Ingredients are required?

2 fresh Grass Carp fish tails
3 fresh corn

30 g of dried loquat leaves
20 g of fu ling
5 g of dried licorice root (or 7-8 slices)
15 g of Creeping Liriope Root Tuber
8 g of Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae (or chuān bèi)
5 g of dried figwort root (or 5-6 small pieces)
5 g of dried lily bulb (or 5-6 pieces)
1 tablespoon of  apricot kernals
5-6 preserved sweet dates

2 slices of fresh ginger
2-3 litres of water
1 tsp of salt to marinate your fish
1 tsp of oil to fry your fish

How do I prepare it?

1. After the fish is cleaned, wipe the fish with paper towels or a cloth to remove excess water
2. Cover the fish with a small amount of salt (inside and out)
3. Let it sit for an hour and then drain any water
4. Peel and cut all the vegetables
5. Start boiling your soup water
6. In a pan, add oil and fry the ginger with the fish on low-medium heat (until the fish is completely cooked and the skin is a slightly browned)
7. Put the fish into a soup bag and add to boiling soup water
8. Add all Chinese herbs and remaining ingredients to the soup
9. Boil on high for 30 minutes and reduce to continually boiling for another 1.5 hours
10. Serve and enjoy!
    

Any benefits?

Excellent soup for removing internal fire and heatiness
Ideal for relieving cough symptoms, rejuvenating the lungs and removing phlegm

Any precautions?

• Considered a cooling soup, so women who are less than 3 months pregnant should take caution
• Use a soup bag to avoid disintegration of fish and bones - which can be potentially dangerous to children