Winter Melon, Lotus Leaf and Duck Soup with Three Beans

Why people make this soup

The Major Heat period (da shu) in the traditional Chinese calendar — falling around late July — marks the most intense and draining stretch of the summer. Nourilo made this soup the day before Da Shu, not as a remedy for existing illness but as a deliberate act of prevention. The logic is straightforward: when heat and humidity are at their peak, the body’s ability to regulate temperature and process fluid is under maximum pressure. Before the body breaks down, give it support. Muscovy duck is lean, cooling, and deeply nourishing in a way that regular chicken is not — it is a traditional choice specifically for hot-weather soups. Combined with three of the most reliable heat-clearing ingredients in the Cantonese pantry — winter melon, mung beans and adzuki beans — and lotus leaf to tie everything together with its aromatic, heat-dispersing quality, this soup is a comprehensive summer wellness meal in a single pot.

Method

1. Blanch the duck pieces in boiling water for 2–3 minutes; discard the blanching water.
2. Rinse and soak the adzuki beans, mung beans, coix seeds, and tangerine peel.
3. Wash and deseed the winter melon; cut into large chunks with skin on.
4. Rinse the lotus leaf.
5. Place the duck, winter melon, adzuki beans, mung beans, coix seeds and tangerine peel into a large pot with 3 L of cold water.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1.5 hours.
7. Add the fresh lotus leaf (or pre-soaked dried lotus leaf) and simmer for a final 8 minutes.
8. Serve. The solid ingredients are nutritious — eat them along with the broth.

Nourilo’s Tips

This is a whole-family preventive summer soup. Because winter melon and the other ingredients are naturally filling, make a larger pot so each family member can have two bowls across the day. Winter melon can be increased generously — it softens nicely and absorbs all the flavours of the broth. If you cannot find Muscovy duck, regular duck, silkie chicken, clams or dried oysters all make good substitutes with similar yin-nourishing properties. If you prefer the duck skin off, that is fine, but Muscovy duck has relatively little subcutaneous fat so it is not essential to remove it.