In Praise of Winter Melon Soup

Owner Amy at Cinta Malaysian has been making this Tung Kwa (winter melon) soup for staff to savour when service ends. She has shared this soup and is one of my favourites.

Build up a chicken stock base and supplement with pork spare ribs or other knuckle pork cuts. Add tung kwa (winter melon) cubes. For health attributes, add goji berries and dried Chinese black or red dates. You can use rice noodles (kway tiaw) or vermicelli (bee hoon). Before serving, add greens like choy sim.

Dried black or red dates are widely used in Chinese health promoting soups. It is a 'warm' (yang energy) herb that helps benefits the spleen and stomach, reinforces energy, nourish the blood, soothes the nerves and neutralizes toxic side effects of some medicine. My circle of Aunties have claimed Goji berries have antioxidants which benefits mental well-being, and calmness, quality of sleep, and feelings of good health. They tell me around the mahjong table that goji berries also have compounds rich in vitamin A that may have anti-aging benefits. Woohoo!