Soups
Black-Eyed Pea, Corn, Dried Scallop & Old Cucumber Soup
Traditionally used to support the spleen and help drain dampness
Why people make this soup
As the weather warms, melons and gourds make ideal soup ingredients. Bro Niu picked up an old cucumber — and a tip: when he makes old-cucumber soup, he scrapes out the pulp and juice and saves it to soak his hands and dab on his face, finding it cooling and refreshing, so nothing goes to waste. This soup is traditionally used to support the spleen and help drain dampness, and is a gentle everyday choice for those who often eat rich, fatty food and want to give the gut a rest.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- People who eat a lot of rich food, or feel puffy with a bitter or dry mouth and sluggish urination; a nice everyday soup for those watching the “three highs.”
- A balanced family soup; no special caution noted in the source.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Black-eyed pea (mei dou): Nutritious and high in zinc; warming in nature, so it balances the cooling old cucumber.
- Old cucumber (lao huang gua): Traditionally cooling, used to support fluid balance and a healthy urinary flow.
- Corn (su mi): Sweetens the soup and is traditionally used to support urinary flow.
- Dried scallop (yao zhu) & tangerine peel (chen pi): Add savoury depth and round out the soup.
Ingredients (4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Black-eyed peas | ~76 g | Soak and rinse |
| Corn | 2 cobs | Husked, cut into pieces |
| Dried scallops | 4–5 pieces | Soak and rinse |
| Dried tangerine peel | 1 piece | Soak and rinse |
| Old cucumber | 1 whole | Rinse with skin on; halve and scrape out pulp (save for skincare), cut flesh into chunks |
Method
- Soak and rinse the black-eyed peas, tangerine peel and dried scallops separately.
- Husk the corn and cut into pieces.
- Rinse the old cucumber with the skin on; halve it and scrape out the pulp (set pulp and juice aside as a skincare liquid), then cut the flesh into chunks.
- Add everything to 8 bowls of water and simmer about 1.5 hours until reduced to 4 bowls.
Bro Niu’s tips
This soup is fragrant and tasty, suitable for young and old, and makes a good everyday food choice for those watching the “three highs.” It also suits people with a bitter or dry mouth, sluggish urination, or puffiness.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (reader): Can I add tai zi shen to this old-cucumber soup so the kids get some qi support? Is tai zi shen an all-rounder I can add to any soup? Are there soups it clashes with? Bro Niu: Yes, you can add tai zi shen to old-cucumber soup — it’s gentle, suits children who are thin or have qi-and-yin weakness, and pairs with most vegetables, melons and corn. Just avoid combining it with very cooling raw herbs.
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Q (reader): Which raw herbs are too cooling? Could you give a few examples? Bro Niu: Mountain herbs like ban bian lian, bai hua she she cao and che qian cao are quite cooling.
Published March 13, 2023 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
