Apples and Pears Soup – 南北杏果梨汤

Hot, hot and hot. I am not referring to the S-factors girls (they are not really hot anyway), but rather the weather. I do know Singapore’s weather is hottest starting from end March to April during the Qing Ming period, but the searing warm did not recede even at night. At times like this, one might not have appetite and can get sick very easily.

Fret not! Here’s a Chinese soup recipe to beat the heat! Light and Soothing - Apples and Pears Soup (南北杏果梨汤).

Ingredients

Apples – About 2. Cut into chunk
Pears – About 2. Cut into chunk
Lean Meat – 300 grams

Water

To measure water - One bowl of water per person and one bowl of water for the pot.

Herbs

Sweet and Bitter Apricot Kernels (南北杏) - About half a tablespoon

Dried Figs (无花果干) - 3 to 4 pieces

Condiment

Salt to taste

To Note:

You can use solely apples or pears for the soup. If you are following my recipe, the apples and pears ratio should be 1:1.

Instead of using fatty cuts, it is better to use leaner meats for this soup.

Sweet and Bitter Apricot Kernels or 南北杏 (pronounce as “nan bei xin” in Chinese) can be purchased from Chinese medicinal store. Dried Figs – 无花果干 can be purchased from Chinese medicinal store or dried provision store.

Medicinal Purpose:

Apples are good for expelling heat from body. It nourishes the lungs and aid digestion.

Pears also have cooling effect and are good to cure cough.

Sweet and Bitter Apricot Kernels or 南北杏 is good for cough. However do take cautious when using this. I wikied and found out that one should not used more than 10 grams of it as it contained mild poison.

Dried Figs also expels heats and has disintoxication properties. It dissipated phlegm and dehumidified the body.

Methods:

Refer to my first recipe on how to prepare the meat. It should slightly pre-boil to rid excess fats and drags.

Apples and pears should be cut up into large chunks. Dried figs should be halved so that the sweetness can be easily defused into the soup.

Boil water. When boiled, put in the meat first and wait for it to come to boil again. Then add in the dried figs and sweet and bitter apricot kernels. When it boils, add the apples and pears.

Let it simmers for about 2 hours before serving.


This is a perfect soup for hot weather. It has a slight sweet and sour taste. Very light, which is good for hot summer day. It cools your body down, nourishes your organ and also aid digestion.

Enjoy!