Old Cucumber Mung Bean Barley Dried Scallop Pork Soup

Why people make this soup

The summer solstice — the day Nourilo wrote this recipe — marks peak yang energy, the most intense heat of the year, and also peak risk of dehydration and heatstroke. On days like this, the Cantonese tradition of cooking restorative soups comes into its own. Old yellow cucumber (the mature, large version of the cucumber, with a golden-yellow skin) stands out from other summer gourds for its relatively rich content of vitamins A, C, and E, which help support the immune system, protect against the effects of sun exposure, and provide cellular energy. When cooked in a long soup with mung beans, barley, dried scallops, and pork shin for two full hours, even those with weaker constitutions can comfortably drink it — the long cooking time turns this into something gentle and deeply nourishing rather than harsh.

Method

1. Wash the old yellow cucumber and keep the skin on — scrape out and set aside the seed pulp (use it as a face/hand treatment later). Cut the cucumber into large chunks.
2. Soak the mung beans, barley, scallops, and tangerine peel separately. Rinse well.
3. Cut the pork shin into chunks and blanch in boiling water for a couple of minutes to remove impurities. Drain and set aside.
4. Combine all ingredients in a pot with 3 L of water.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 full hours, until approximately 1.5 L of broth remain.
6. Serve with the solids — eat the beans, cucumber, and pork alongside the soup.

Nourilo’s Tips

The seed pulp scooped from the inside of the old cucumber should not be thrown away — it is full of juice and has excellent skin-brightening and anti-wrinkle qualities when applied directly to the face and hands. A lovely bonus from the prep work. For gout sufferers, swapping mung beans for adzuki beans makes the soup particularly helpful for clearing uric acid. If buying dried scallops, try the shops along Sheung Wan’s dried seafood streets for good quality — compare prices between shops as those with fancier fit-outs tend to charge more.