Lotus Leaf Winter Melon Soup

Why people make this soup

In the peak of summer, the old Cantonese saying goes: “Great Heat, Minor Heat — too hot to bother cooking.” But those very days are exactly when the body needs support the most. High temperatures can disrupt fluid balance, leaving people feeling heavy, sluggish, and depleted. This simple soup — built around lotus leaf, winter melon, and a handful of legumes — is something Bro Niu’s family has turned to for generations. It is easy to make, wonderfully fragrant, and perfectly suited to the season.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suitable for the whole family, young and old alike, especially during hot, humid summer weather.
• People who need to avoid legumes due to gout should consider the simpler version with just winter melon and lotus leaf (see tips below).
• For general wellness use; if you have a known medical condition, consult your doctor before making dietary changes.

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Lotus leaf (he ye): In traditional Chinese food therapy, lotus leaf is associated with clearing summer heat and supporting the body’s natural ability to manage dampness. It has a subtle, pleasant fragrance and is added toward the end of cooking to preserve its aromatics.
• Winter melon (dong gua): A classic cooling vegetable in summer cooking; the skin is kept on, as it is believed to hold additional beneficial properties.
• Adzuki beans (chi xiao dou): Traditionally valued for supporting healthy urinary function and easing the body’s tendency to retain dampness.
• Job’s tears / pearl barley (sheng yi mi): A well-known grain in Chinese food therapy, associated with supporting the spleen and helping the body manage dampness. Raw (unroasted) is preferred here.
• Hyacinth beans (bian dou) and moth beans (mei dou): Both are gentle legumes used alongside Job’s tears to round out the dampness-clearing combination.
• Dried tangerine peel (chen pi): Adds warmth and a pleasant citrus note that balances the cooling nature of the other ingredients and supports digestion.

Ingredients (4–5 bowls)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Fresh lotus leaf	1/2 large leaf	Add last; too much makes the soup bitter
Winter melon, skin on	600 g	Washed and cut into chunks
Adzuki beans	38 g (1 oz)	Soaked and rinsed
Job’s tears (raw)	38 g (1 oz)	Soaked and rinsed
Hyacinth beans	38 g (1 oz)	Soaked and rinsed
Moth beans / eye beans	38 g (1 oz)	Soaked and rinsed
Dried tangerine peel	1–2 pieces
Rock sugar	To taste	For sweet version
Lean pork	150 g (optional)	For savory version

Method

1. Wash and cut the winter melon into large chunks, keeping the skin on.
2. Soak and rinse all the beans and Job’s tears. Drain.
3. Add the beans, Job’s tears, tangerine peel, and winter melon to a pot with 10 bowls (about 2.5 litres) of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium-low simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Tear the fresh lotus leaf into large pieces and add to the pot. Simmer for a further 10 minutes.
6. For the savory version: add lean pork at the start with the other ingredients.
7. For the sweet version: stir in rock sugar near the end and allow to dissolve before serving.

Bro Niu’s tips

This soup works beautifully both ways — as a light sweet drink with rock sugar, or as a savory everyday soup with lean pork. The lotus leaf must go in last; putting it in at the beginning can make the soup too bitter. Done right, it gives the soup a lovely, subtle lotus fragrance. For friends with gout who should avoid legumes, you can simply use winter melon and lotus leaf alone — it still does a wonderful job of keeping summer heat at bay.

For a larger batch (6 servings), Bro Niu suggests: half a lotus leaf, about 700 g winter melon, and each of the legumes increased to about 38 g, with 9 bowls of water cooked down to 6 bowls.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (fanny50631): For the lotus leaf winter melon soup, does “one piece of fresh lotus leaf” mean a whole, complete leaf? Bro Niu: For a 6-person batch, half a large lotus leaf is enough — a full large leaf will make the soup too bitter. Use about 700 g of winter melon, and about 38 g each of the other ingredients. Two pieces of dried tangerine peel work well for that size.

• Q (Bobby): If using dried lotus leaf instead of fresh, do you still add it at the end? Bro Niu: For dried lotus leaf, half a leaf is enough. Add it near the end of cooking and simmer for 15 minutes. You can also add it at the beginning with the other ingredients — the soup will just have a slightly more bitter note, which some people prefer.

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Published July 22, 2013 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.