Winter Melon, Bamboo-Tip and Frog Soup

Why people make this soup

After days of grey, rainy weather, Nourilo says the body can feel heavy with damp — tired limbs and a touch of puffiness. He picked up a packet of dried flat bamboo-shoot tips, which pair beautifully with winter melon for an especially savoury, fragrant pot. Adzuki beans and job’s-tears go in to support the spleen and help move fluid, while frog, dried scallops and ribs add richness. It is traditionally seen as helpful for those who feel sluggish, puffy or carry extra weight in damp weather.

Method

1. Wash the winter melon with its skin and cut into chunks. Separately soak and rinse the adzuki beans, job’s-tears and dried scallops.
2. Soak the dried bamboo tips in water for 1 hour.
3. Clean and cut the frog, then blanch it with the ribs.
4. Put everything in a pot with 2.7 L of water and simmer 2 hours down to 1.2–1.5 L. Serve.

Nourilo’s Tips

Because the flat bamboo tips are salt-cured, you must soak them for an hour and discard that water before cooking. Taste the finished soup before adding any seasoning, or it can turn out too salty. Some people worry about parasites in frog — you can cut away the spine before cooking; cooked through, it is perfectly safe to eat.