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Mung Bean, Coix Seed, Old Cucumber and Carrot Lean Pork Soup

traditionally associated with clearing summer heat, supporting urination and relieving skin breakouts

In short: Mung Bean, Coix Seed, Old Cucumber and Carrot Lean Pork Soup is a soup that traditionally associated with clearing summer heat, supporting urination and relieving skin breakouts. It is most often made for cooling & summer heat, skin & natural beauty, everyday balance. Total time about 140 min. Key ingredients: mung beans, coix seeds / job's tears, carrot, honey dates.

By · Published under our editorial policy · Research library

Prep
20 min
Cook
120 min
Total
140 min
Makes
1.2 L
Cooling & Summer HeatSkin & Natural BeautyEveryday Balance
Mung Bean, Coix Seed, Old Cucumber and Carrot Lean Pork Soup

Why people make this soup

As summer arrives and the heat builds, many people notice their skin flaring — breakouts, congested pores, that heavy feeling in the body. In Cantonese food therapy, these are signs of accumulated heat and dampness that need to be cleared from the inside out. Old (mature) yellow cucumber is a particularly good ingredient for this: as the cucumber ripens fully on the vine, it concentrates water and fibre that act as natural diuretics, and develops plant sterols that support cholesterol balance. Combined with mung beans — perhaps the most reliable heat-clearing legume in the Cantonese pantry — and raw coix seeds for dampness relief, this soup addresses several overlapping summer complaints at once, from sluggish skin to a heavy, bloated feeling.

What studies say about the key ingredients

Traditional use is not the same as clinical proof. Here is the strongest human research we found for each ingredient, limitations included.

  • Mung beans · Randomized crossover trial, 20 participants · 2019
    Breath hydrogen and methane were higher after wheat than after rice or mung bean noodles. Bloating scores after mung bean did not differ significantly from wheat, and mung bean produced gas levels similar to rice.Limitation: Small sample of 20 patients, with single meals tested rather than habitual intake, so longer-term effects of mung bean on symptoms are unknown.PubMed 31484315 · 1 more mung beans study
  • Job's tears (coix) · Randomized controlled trial · 2024
    Myeloperoxidase activity rose significantly in the placebo group after 8 weeks but showed no significant change in the adlay tea group. Vascular endothelial function improved in the adlay group, especially in those over 40.Limitation: Participants were healthy adults and the outcomes were surrogate markers, so the results say little about clinical disease outcomes. Tea is a polyphenol-rich extract, not whole grain.PubMed 38945894 · 2 more job's tears (coix) studies

From the Nourilo Research Library. Findings come from specific doses, extracts and populations and may not apply to a home-cooked recipe.

Safety first — read before you cook

This is a traditional food, not a treatment. Please check with your doctor or pharmacist before making it a regular part of your diet if you:

  • are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are cooking for a young child;
  • take regular medicines — especially blood thinners, blood-pressure, diabetes or immune-suppressing drugs;
  • have a kidney, liver or heart condition, or a known food allergy.

Stop eating it and seek advice if you notice an allergic reaction or feel unwell. Safety notes reviewed 8 October 2026 · How we write safety notes

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