Eight Treasures Winter Melon Soup

Ba Bao Dong Gou Tang 八寶冬瓜湯

Ingredients:
1. Winter Melon (冬瓜) White Gourd 750 g
2. Lian Zi (蓮子) Lotus Seed 10 pieces
3. Yi Yi Ren (生薏仁) Job’s Tears Seed 60 g
4. Gou Qi Zi (枸杞子) Goji Berry 20 pieces
5. Chicken Leg (雞腿) 2 – 3
6. Chinese Ham (火腿) 1 slice
7. Shrimp (蝦) 10
8. Dry Chinese (Shiitake) Mushroom (冬菇) 2 – 3 pieces
9. Pork Bone (豬骨) 500g
10. Corn flour (生粉) ½ teaspoon
11. Light soya sauce (生抽) 3 teaspoons
Cooking methods:
1. Blanch pork bone in boiling water for a few minutes; drain, rinse with cold water
2. Wash the winter melon; remove the green skin, seeds, and the pulp. Cut into 1cm pieces
3. Soak Chinese dried mushrooms in hot water for 20 - 30 minutes until softened. Squeeze
out any excess water, dice
4. Clean and soak Yi Yi Ren, Lian Zi in cold water for 30 minutes
5. Clean Gou Qi Zi and soak in cold water for 10 minutes
6. Dice Chinese ham
7. Clean chicken leg; remove skin, fat tissue and bones. Dice and season with corn flour and
soya sauce
8. Clean and remove shell and intestines from shrimps
9. Place the pork bone in 2 liters of boiling water; bring to boil, and simmer for 2 - 3 hours
10. Drain the soup from 9 to remove pork bone and oil; bring to boil
11. Place the shiitake mushroom, ham, Yi Yi Ren, Lian Zi and winter melon in the soup,
bring to a boil, and simmer for approximately 30 minutes or until the winter melon is
tender.
12. Add Gou Qi Zi, chicken and shrimp; bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
13. Season with salt if necessary
14. Add green onion for garnish. Serve hot.
Actions/Indications/Functions:
 Cooling, clear heat (especially summer-heat)
 Detoxify

 Quench thirst, relieve irritability
 Dispels dampness, induce diuresis
 Strengthen spleen, stomach
 Tonify qi & blood
 Commonly used to prevent and treat
a. spleen deficiency with dampness related fatigue, lace of energy, anorexia, and
diarrhea, gynecological disorders, such as vaginal discharge with fatigue
b. summer-heat and dampness related syndromes, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
muscle tendon, and joint pain or stiffness,
c. treat lung abscess characterized by purulent, thick sputum containing pus and
blood, cough, nasal discharge,
d. it is also used to treat intestinal infectious diseases, such as appendicitis
e. Obesity, diabetes, UTI and particularly effective in regulating blood sugar