Recipe: Old Cucumber Soup

I only tried this recipe this year, and it’s surprisingly very easy to prepare. I should have tried it earlier! With vegetables and meat in this soup, it can be served as a one-dish meal, served with warm rice. According to specialtyproduce.com, old cucumbers are an excellent source of fibre, calcium, vitamins A, C and B6. In China, old cucumbers are believed to contain anti-aging properties and are consumed to improve skin complexion.

A soothing and nourishing soup, old cucumber soup helps to cool the body and aids in detoxification. Old cucumbers are mild tasting on its own. The addition of sweet corn, dried cuttlefish, dried scallops, honeyed dates and dried red dates creates a naturally sweet tasting and rich flavored soup.

souperdiaries.com

Prep and Cook Time (Serves 2)

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes (pressure cooker); 2 hours (stovetop)

Ingredients

• 400g Pork Ribs
• 1 Medium-sized Old Cucumber (650g)
• 1 Sweet Corn or/and 1 Carrot (optional)
• 1 piece of Dried Cuttlefish (~15g)
• 5 Red Dates
• 2 tbsp Goji Berries

For a healthier choice, I omitted 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tbsp light soy sauce.

Cooking

• Wash the red dates, goji berries, and dried cuttlefish.
• Blanch the pork ribs in a pot of boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Remove and wash under running water.
• Old Cucumber:
  • Cut off both ends of the old cucumber.
  • Slice the old cucumber in half, lengthwise. Remove the seeds with a metal spoon. Remember to remove the seeds and not peel the cucumber.
  • Cut it into wide slices.
  • (Note: Choose old cucumbers with darker skin and more wrinkly lines. They are more mature and have a better aroma.)
• Peel and cut the corn or/and carrot into chunks.
• Place all the ingredients in the pressure cooker. Add in salt for taste.
  • For the pressure cooker, slightly cover the ingredients with water. Seal the lid and cook on ‘Soup‘ function for 30 mins. Let it vent naturally for better-tasting soup.
  • For the stovetop, add more water and simmer for at least two hours.

Tip for great tasting soup: Always try to let soup rest for at least 30 minutes and preferably for at least an hour. In fact, a little known secret is that soup is often even more delicious the next day (Source: chefandsteward.com).

Cooked and slurped? Let me know how it taste in the comments below!

Looking for more tips on travel, home, and baby? Subscribe to my mailing list and be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube! If you like what you read here, keep it going too. 🙂

Disclaimer: JoogoStyle and Christina accepts no liability (whether in tort or contract or otherwise) for any loss or damage arising from any use, misuse, inaccuracy or omission of the information or other contents published on this website.