Soup Name: Quick Boil Hairy Gourd, Bamboo and Chicken Soup

Traditional Chinese Name: 节瓜竹筍雞肉湯 ( jié guā zhú sǔn ji ròu tāng)

Introduction:

To follow other quick boil soups we’ve made recently, here’s another quick soup idea.   Although this soup can be made the traditional way (with a whole chicken and fresh bamboo), if you’re in a hurry, we can suggest some short-cuts, too.  Use chicken pieces to replace the whole chicken and canned bamboo to replace fresh bamboo and you can have a delicious and nutritious soup ready in about 30 minutes — perfect after a long day at work or if the kids are hungry.   Bump up the nutrition levels and the color by adding carrots or corn to your soup.

What ingredients are required?

1  pound of chicken pieces
1 large hairy gourd (a.k.a fuzzy melon)
2 large fresh bamboo shoots, cut into slices (or canned)
2 large carrots (peeled and cut into pieces)
1 L of chicken broth/stock
2 L of water

How do I prepare it?

  1. Pour water and chicken broth together into a large pot and turn on high heat to boil
  2. Wash, peel and slice the hairy gourd into edible pieces
  3. Wash, peel and cut carrots into pieces
  4. Prepare bamboo and cut into slices
  5. When the water boils, add all the ingredients together
  6. Boil on high for 30 minutes
  7. Serve and enjoy!

Any benefits?

  • Removes heat from the body and is mildly cooling
  • Bamboo shoots are an excellent source of fiber, potassium and are high in antioxidants
  • Easy soup to make that is tasty and the winter melon absorbs the flavor of the meat and broth making it very tasty to eat
  • You can substitute the chicken stock with water, but add some salt for flavoring
  • A child-friendly soup

Any precautions?

  • Too much bamboo may be hard to digest (due to the high fiber content)