Fall Recipe - Honeydew Melon Soup
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
Eating in the Fall Season - Fall Recipes
Fall is the time when dryness and cooler temperatures predominate. Fall is also when your lungs are most vulnerable to attack. Symptoms related to dryness include coughing with sputum, dry nose and throat, dry skin and lips, chest pain and dry stools.
It is important to increase the intake of soothing fluids to balance the effects of external dryness. The cooling temperatures can increase your appetite, especially for meat, but it is important to change gradually from a diet high in vegetables and fruit over the summer months to one that is a mix of meat and vegetables so that the digestive system can adjust more easily. In fall, eat less eggplant because they can turn the digestive system sluggish.
The following super foods are highly recommended to be taken more in fall to counter the dry seasonal effects.
Fresh Lily Bulb
Excellent for moisturizing lungs and is regarded as vegetable ginseng because of its high protein, phosphate, potassium, calcium and rich multivitamin content.
Red Dates/Jujube
Promote energy, reduce stress of liver, benefit the formation and maintenance of the blood stream, body hormones, bones, muscles, skin, hair, body enzymes and neurotransmitters.
Sweet Potatoes
High in fiber and nutritional content can help to prevent constipation and adding pounds.
Goji-berries
Goji-berries have many health benefits and can improve immune functions to prevent sickness.
Pears
Excellent in lowering heat and moisturizing lungs, prevent cough and clear phlegm.
Pumpkin
Moisturizing, strengthen stomach and spleen functions.
Honeydew Melon Soup
Symptoms
n/a
Therapeutic Effects
Moisturize internal systems, promote blood and energy.
Ingredients
- Honey dew melon 青蜜瓜 – one whole
- Rehmannia Radix (sheng di) 大生地 – 30gm
- Lotus Seeds (lien zi) 蓮子 - 30gm
- Glehnia (bei sha shen) 沙參 - 30gm
- Solomon's Seal (yu ju) 玉竹 - 30gm
- Honey dates 蜜棗 - 8
- Sweet apricot kernel 南杏仁 – 60gm
- Bitter apricot kernel 北杏仁 – 12gm
- Lean pork/pork hock 豬展 – 180gm
Directions
1. Rinse pork, cut into large pieces and put in boiling water to cook for a few minutes, retrieve and rinse.
2. Soak apricot kernel for at least 2 hours and keep aside.
3. Remove skin and seeds of melon and dice into cubes.
4. Rinse other herbal ingredients and put together with pork in a soup pot with about 2 litres of water. Bring to boil, remove foam and reduce heat to medium to cook for 30 minutes. Add melon to cook for another 15 minutes.
5. Put apricot kernel in a grinder to grind into a fine paste and filter out any large pieces. Add the juice to the cooking and cook for another 15 minutes.
6. Add salt to serve. Eat some melon with soup.
Usage
No restrictions.
