Eight-Treasure Winter Melon and Dried Scallop Soup

Why people make this soup

When the hot months arrive, melons and gourds are the classic Cantonese choice for soup — they are traditionally seen as cooling and refreshing. The trouble is that pure melon soup can feel a little too cold for people with a weaker, more “cold-leaning” stomach. Nourilo’s trick here is to pair the winter melon with an eight-treasure mix of beans, seeds and yam that traditionally support the spleen, so even a second or third bowl sits comfortably. It is a soup the whole family — young and old — can enjoy through summer.

Method

1. Wash the winter melon, leave the skin on, and cut into chunks.
2. Rinse and briefly soak all the other ingredients.
3. Put everything into a pot with 2.4 L of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 2 hours.
5. Serve, eating the soup together with the softened ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup also has a reputation for being slimming and for helping move excess water, so it is a friendly choice if you are watching your weight. Because the “eight-treasure” mix soaks up a lot of liquid, start with generous water and aim to finish with about 4 servings. Use de-cored lotus seeds here — the green core is bitter, and in a cooling melon soup you do not want that bitterness.