Soup Name: Vegetarian Wintermelon and Longan Soup
Traditional Chinese Name: 冬瓜龍眼素湯 (dōng guā lóngyǎn sù tāng)
Introduction:
A very light and delicious soup appropriate for hot, stuffy summers. It is refreshing (even though it’s hot) and slightly sweet with all the goodness of natural flavoring and ingredients. It is a meatless soup and a quick boil, so it’s super easy to make. Plus, it’s a great base for adding other ingredients such as corn, carrots, onions and I serve it with udon or noodles to make it a meal!
What ingredients are required?
3 fresh carrots, cut into large pieces
2 fresh corn, cut into large pieces
1 large slice of wintermelon, peeled and cut into large pieces
20 pieces of dried longan
2 L of water
How do I prepare it?
- Soak dried longan in warm water for 10 minutes (or until soft)
- Start boiling your soup water
- Wash and prepare wintermelon, carrots, and corn (keep the wintermelon skin)
- When soup water boils, add all the ingredients together
- Boil on high for 30 minutes
- Serve and enjoy! Salt if necessary.
Any benefits?
- Oil free soup
- Excellent source of protein and vitamins
- Easy to make soup
- Soup is ideal for hot summers and mildly cooling to relieve heatiness in the body
- Wintermelon helps detoxify the skin and body and regulates sugar levels
Any precautions?
- Wintermelon is a mildly cooling ingredient and should be cautiously consumed if in your first trimester of pregnancy or if you’re menstruating as cooling foods intensify cramping
- If someone is experiencing diarrhea or loose stool, they should avoid consuming the wintermelon seeds