Old Cucumber Soup (老黄瓜汤) Recipe

Method11 steps · about 2 hr 35 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Keep the pork bones (500 g) and two chicken carcasses chilled until ready. Blanch them in sufficient boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and discard the blanching water, then carefully rinse the blanched bones and remove visible clots.

   Drain blanched soup bones · 3 minUses 500 g meaty pork soup bones · 2 chicken carcasses (bone frames) · Clean boiling and rinsing water, for meat bones

2. 2

   Step 2: In a separate supply of boiling water, blanch the dried cuttlefish (1 piece) for 1 minute to soften it, then lift it out and discard the water. Remove its central soft bone, mouth and eyes, and cut the usable cuttlefish into lengths about 1 inch long. Do not soak it.

   Lift and trim softened cuttlefish · 1 minUses 1 piece dried cuttlefish · Separate boiling water, for cuttlefish

3. 3

   Step 3: Wash the medium old cucumber (1 medium). Cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, leaving the skin on.

   Uses 1 medium old cucumber · Clean water, for washing old cucumber

4. 4

   Step 4: Cut the deseeded cucumber halves from step 3 crosswise into pieces about 2 inches long.

   Uses Cucumber halves only, excluding seeds and washing water

5. 5

   Step 5: Pit the 6–8 red dates, rinse and drain them. Wash and drain the 3 tbsp skin-on peanuts separately. Set out the measured 2 tbsp wolfberries dry; rinse them only just before their late addition in step 9.

   Uses 6–8 red dates · 3 tbsp skin-on Chinese peanuts · 2 tbsp wolfberries · Clean water, for rinsing pitted dates and peanuts

6. 6

   Step 6: Put the separate 2.5 l soup water into a large pot and bring it to a boil over high heat.

   Uses 2.5 l water, for soup

7. 7

   Step 7: Add the drained meat bones from step 1, cleaned cuttlefish from step 2, cucumber pieces from step 4 and drained peanuts from step 5 to the boiling soup water from step 6.

   Uses Boiling measured soup water · Meat bones only, excluding discarded blanching and rinsing water · Cuttlefish only, excluding discarded water, bone, mouth and eyes · Prepared old-cucumber pieces · Peanuts only, separate from dates, dry wolfberries and washing water

8. 8

   Step 8: Return the pot from step 7 to boiling, then lower to medium heat and simmer gently for about 2 hours, watching the pot. If the liquid falls too far, add only enough additional boiling water to maintain the soup level.

   Add the late soup fruits · 120 minUses Soup pot with prepared bones, cuttlefish, cucumber and peanuts · Additional boiling water, only if needed to maintain the simmering soup level

9. 9

   Step 9: Rinse and drain the reserved wolfberries from step 5 now, without soaking them. Add them and the prepared pitted dates from step 5 to the soup from step 8 and simmer for another 15 minutes. Check that the cucumber and peanuts are tender and any chicken meat on the carcasses is fully cooked to 74°C.

   Check finished old-cucumber soup · 15 minUses Long-simmered cucumber soup · Measured wolfberries only, excluding the separate dates and peanuts · Drained dates only, excluding washing water, peanuts and wolfberries · Clean water, for the late wolfberry rinse

10. 10

    Step 10: Taste the finished soup from step 9 before seasoning. Add the optional pinch of salt (1 pinch) only if needed.

    Uses Cooked soup only, excluding discarded wolfberry rinsing water · 1 pinch salt, optional

11. 11

    Step 11: Serve the seasoned soup from step 10 hot, using four soup portions as the author guide. Cool leftovers promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate; reheat to 74°C before serving again.

    Uses Seasoned finished old-cucumber soup