Old Cucumber, Mung Bean and Pork Rib Soup

Why people make this soup

In hot, humid weather — especially for people who have to wear a face mask all day — the skin around the jaw and cheeks is under constant stress: sweat, friction, and trapped heat. Breakouts and eczema flares become more common. This soup uses a ripe, yellow-skinned cucumber (not the young green one you eat in salads, but the same plant left to fully mature until its skin turns yellow and its seeds are large) which is considerably richer in antioxidants than its young counterpart. Nourilo also has a personal tip: when scooping out the seeds and pulp to prepare the soup, he saves the cucumber liquid in a bowl and uses it as a facial compress or hand soak after cooking — naturally cooling, anti-inflammatory, and mildly brightening. Mung beans are one of the most trusted heat-clearing, skin-supporting ingredients in Cantonese cooking. Together they make a soup that is also helpful for people managing weight, blood sugar, and blood pressure.

Method

1. Wash the old cucumber, scoop out the seeds and inner pulp (save the liquid for skin care if desired), and cut the flesh into chunks.
2. Soak and rinse the mung beans and tangerine peel.
3. Blanch the pork ribs in boiling water briefly; drain and discard the water.
4. Combine all ingredients in a pot with 2.4 L of water.
5. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1.5 hours until reduced to approximately 1.2 L.
6. Serve.

Nourilo’s Tips

• Save the cucumber seeds and liquid when preparing the soup: apply the liquid to the face or hands as a natural compress. Old cucumber juice is cooling, anti-inflammatory, and traditionally associated with brightening skin and fading spots.
• The compound in cucumber (propanedioic acid) that inhibits sugar-to-fat conversion makes this soup particularly useful for people managing obesity or metabolic conditions.
• Lean pork shank (zhu zhan) can be used instead of pork ribs if preferred.