Hairy Gourd, Black-Eyed Bean, Shiitake and Pork Shin Soup

Why people make this soup

On scorching days, melon-and-gourd soups are the natural choice for cooling and refreshing — but melons can be quite cooling, and some people with a weaker, cold-leaning spleen-stomach, dull complexion or puffy under-eyes can’t tolerate them. Hairy gourd is the gentler answer: a tender cousin of winter melon that is only mildly cooling, traditionally associated with supporting the spleen, draining damp and easing fluid retention.

Method

1. Scrape, wash and cube the hairy gourd; soak and rinse the beans; soak the shiitake soft and trim the stems.
2. Cube the pork shin and blanch.
3. Put everything in a pot with 2.4 L of water.
4. Simmer about 1.5 hours, reducing to 1.2 L. Eat the soup with the ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

Hairy gourd is in season now and inexpensive. Choose ones with bright-green, slightly fuzzy skin, plump and rounded, and of medium length.