Soups
Winter Melon, Bamboo-Tip and Frog Soup
Traditionally supports the spleen and helps clear excess fluid
Why people make this soup
After days of grey, rainy weather, Bro Niu says the body can feel heavy with damp — tired limbs and a touch of puffiness. He picked up a packet of dried flat bamboo-shoot tips, which pair beautifully with winter melon for an especially savoury, fragrant pot. Adzuki beans and job’s-tears go in to support the spleen and help move fluid, while frog, dried scallops and ribs add richness. It is traditionally seen as helpful for those who feel sluggish, puffy or carry extra weight in damp weather.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- People with a damp-heavy, tired feeling, mild puffiness or who want a lighter, savoury soup
- If you are allergic to bamboo shoots, simply leave them out (see Q&A below)
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Winter melon (dong gua): traditionally used to clear heat and help the body move fluid
- Adzuki bean and job’s-tears (chi xiao dou, yi mi): classically associated with supporting the spleen and draining damp
- Frog (tian ji): traditionally used to support the spleen, build the body up and help with puffiness
- Dried scallops and bamboo tips (yao zhu, bian jian sun): add natural umami and depth
Ingredients (4–5 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Winter melon | ~600 g (1 jin) | keep skin, cut in chunks |
| Dried flat bamboo tips | 3–4 pieces | soaked 1 hour first |
| Adzuki beans | ~38 g (1 liang) | soaked and rinsed |
| Job’s-tears | ~38 g (1 liang) | soaked and rinsed |
| Dried scallops | 3 | soaked and rinsed |
| Frog | 2 | cleaned, cut, blanched with ribs |
| Fresh ginger | 3 slices | |
| Pork ribs | ~300 g (half jin) | blanched |
Method
- Wash the winter melon with its skin and cut into chunks. Separately soak and rinse the adzuki beans, job’s-tears and dried scallops.
- Soak the dried bamboo tips in water for 1 hour.
- Clean and cut the frog, then blanch it with the ribs.
- Put everything in a pot with 9 bowls of water and simmer 2 hours down to 4–5 bowls. Serve.
Bro Niu’s tips
Because the flat bamboo tips are salt-cured, you must soak them for an hour and discard that water before cooking. Taste the finished soup before adding any seasoning, or it can turn out too salty. Some people worry about parasites in frog — you can cut away the spine before cooking; cooked through, it is perfectly safe to eat.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (Susanna): I’m allergic to bamboo shoots — is there a substitute? Bro Niu: The bamboo shoots are there mainly to lift the savoury flavour; it’s perfectly fine to leave them out.
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Q (Ling): After a cold I still have a sore throat and a cough with white phlegm, coughing so much I can’t sleep. Any soup to ease it? Bro Niu: A sore throat is a heat sign, so even with white phlegm you clear heat and soothe the throat first: a quarter of a luo han guo, 4 pang da hai, 1 piece chen pi in 4 bowls of water for 20 minutes; have 2–3 batches.
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Q (Ping Ping): My mother is having gallbladder-removal surgery tomorrow — how should she recover and what should we watch for? Bro Niu: Once she can drink, give white-radish and chen-pi water in small sips, as much as she can, to help clear the anaesthetic faster; then a dried-scallop and chen-pi congee. For 2–3 months after surgery, avoid anything rich or greasy so that low bile doesn’t cause diarrhoea. Plenty of melon-and-vegetable soups are ideal, and a drip chicken or lean-pork essence is also good.
Published April 27, 2024 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.
