Soups and drinks

Old cucumber soup (老黄瓜汤)

Name: Old cucumber soup (老黄瓜汤)
Total time: 155 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 500 g pork bones; 2 chicken carcasses; 1 medium old cucumber; 1 dried cuttlefish; 3 tbsp Chinese peanuts, skins on, washed; 2.5 litres water; 6–8 red dates, pitted and rinsed; 2 tbsp wolfberries, rinsed; 1 pinch salt (optional)

A Cantonese-style home soup. The old cucumber cooks down soft and mild, and the dried cuttlefish adds a gentle sweetness.

Jump to recipe

Total time: 155 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
Adapted from: The Burning Kitchen

Ingredients

Bones

500 g pork bones
2 chicken carcasses

Soup pot

1 medium old cucumber
1 dried cuttlefish
3 tbsp Chinese peanuts, skins on, washed
2.5 litres water

Last 15 minutes

6–8 red dates, pitted and rinsed
2 tbsp wolfberries, rinsed

To season

1 pinch salt (optional)

Method

Blanch the bones 3 minutes, then drain, rinse, and pick off any clots.
Blanch the cuttlefish 1 minute. Remove the bone, mouth and eyes, and cut it into 1-inch pieces.
Halve the cucumber lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and cut it into 2-inch pieces.
Boil the water on high, then add the bones, cuttlefish, cucumber and peanuts.
When it boils again, simmer on medium for 2 hours.
Add the dates and wolfberries and simmer 15 minutes more. Longer turns the soup sour.
Salt to taste and serve.

Filed underCucumber Pork Soups and drinks Slow weekends