Chuanbei pear soup 川贝雪梨汤 is a classic Chinese sweet soup, and pears are in season from September to November. With the haze in Singapore from the fires in Indonesia, I wanted something warm and gentle for the throat. Pears are believed to moisten the lungs, and chuanbei 川贝 (Sichuan fritillary bulb) is traditionally used to soothe dry coughs and clear heat.
I was born Hainanese but brought up the Cantonese way, because Mum is Cantonese. She is not much of a cook, but she makes good soup. Growing up, soup, savoury and sweet, was the norm. She made pear soup with honey dates 蜜枣 and both southern and northern apricot kernels 南杏北杏. Mine uses chuanbei, which she brought back from China on her recent trip. This is my take on her soup.
There are many ways to make pear soup. This one is sweetened with candied tangerine 桔饼 instead of rock sugar, for a fragrant, citrusy note, and it takes very little effort.
Chuanbei Pear Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large round Asian pear about 450g
- 1 candied tangerine 桔饼
- 10 g chuanbei 川贝 Sichuan fritillary bulb
- 1 litre water
Instructions
- Wash the pear with baking soda. It is mildly alkaline and helps to loosen residues from the skin.
- Peel the pear and keep the peel.
- Remove the core and cut the pear into small pieces.
- Wash the chuanbei, then crush it with a mortar. It only needs to break apart, not turn into powder.
- Put the pear, peel, chuanbei, candied tangerine and 1 litre of water into a pot.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Scoop the pear and soup into bowls and serve warm.
Notes
- Pears: Choose round Asian pears. Varieties from China, Japan, Korea, or Taiwan all work.
- Peel: Boiling the peel gives a stronger pear flavour. Put it in a soup bag, so the pear is easy to scoop out without loose peel getting in the way.
- Candied tangerine 桔饼: If you cannot find it, use 20g of rock sugar and adjust the sweetness to taste.
- Chuanbei 川贝: Also known as Sichuan fritillary bulb. If you cannot find it, make the classic version without it. Skip the candied tangerine too, and use 10g each of southern and northern apricot kernels 南杏北杏 with 3 to 4 honey dates 蜜枣. Dried snow fungus 雪耳/银耳 (10g, weighed before soaking) is optional.
- Serving: Serve warm, straight from the pot, or chill in the fridge and serve cold. Best finished within 1 to 2 days.
- IMPORTANT: This soup is a traditional home remedy, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, giving it to children or managing a health condition, check with a doctor or TCM practitioner first.
