Winter Melon, Lotus Seed & Night Jasmine Duck Soup

Why people make this soup

Have you ever noticed that your mouth tastes oddly sweet even when you have not been eating anything? In traditional Chinese food therapy, a persistent sweet sensation in the mouth is associated with disharmony in the digestive system — sometimes described as “spleen heat.” Nourilo introduces this soup as part of a series on unusual tastes in the mouth. This particular version suits the milder pattern, where the sweet taste comes with poor appetite, a feeling of heaviness or fatigue, and a tendency to feel hot. It is a pleasant everyday soup enjoyed equally for its delicate flavour as for its traditional wellness value.

Method

1. Wash the winter melon, keeping the skin on; cut into large chunks.
2. If using fresh lotus seeds, remove the bitter green core and rinse well.
3. Rinse the night jasmine flowers gently.
4. Clean the duck, then blanch in boiling water for a few minutes; drain and set aside.
5. Place the winter melon, lotus seeds, and duck into a pot with 2.4 L of water.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium simmer for about 1 hour 30 minutes.
7. Add the night jasmine flowers and boil for a further 5 minutes.
8. Serve the soup with the accompanying solids.

Nourilo’s Tips

This is a fragrant, gently refreshing soup that the whole family can enjoy. It is particularly pleasant during summer and early autumn. Besides its traditional association with cooling digestive heat, it is associated in food-therapy tradition with easing summer heat restlessness, improving poor appetite, relieving a heavy-headed feeling, and freshening breath when the cause is internal heat.