Monday, September 30, 2013

Old Cucumber Soup

Old Cucumber, or some of you may like to call it as Matured Cucumber. Up to you. Its really up to you how you prefer to call this aged and also known as yellow gourd. And of course, it must be according to the Chinese (Chick Kut TehChinese Black Vinegar Chicken & Salted Fish Bone Soup) because I don't think old cucumber is a familiarity to us Indians, unless maybe you are another Indian like me who love Chinese food (Chap Chai) and soups, old cucumber is hailed for its health benefits (Burdock Root Soup & Winter Melon Soup). Especially for those of you like me, me again right, who every and now then feel as though you are gutted by fire. In other words, you want to ditch aside heatiness from your body. Without a doubt, a familiarity for old cucumber soup is usually simmering it over low heat or in the slow cooker or some prefer double boiling, alongside pork bones or chicken (Chinese Chicken Herbal Soup) but this nava-k's version is a vegetarian and vegan slurpiness (Vegan Pumpkin Soup, Thai Tomato Soup, Portuguese Potato Soup & Japanese Lotus Root Soup). Furthermore, who on earth ever said making Chinese soups is a brain cracker? Not at all foodies. Anyone for the matter who has a stove and a pot can make. How do we make this Old Cucumber Soup? Old cucumber, wolf-berries and ginkgo nuts, plus our pantry staples and vegetable stock, just simmer please (Creamy Mushroom Soup, Chinese Tofu Soup, Lentil Vegetable Soup, Tomato Spinach Soup & Mixed Vegetable Soup).

Ingredients
1 medium size old cucumber - rinse and slice. Just scrape the skin a little. 
100g prepared ginkgo (canned or vacuum packed)  
2 tbsp kei chi/wolfberries - soak to soften
5 garlic - crush
1 inch ginger - slice
1/2 litre vegetable stock
1 tsp black pepper seeds
A pinch of black pepper powder
Coriander leaves for garnishing
1 tbsp of oil
Salt for taste
Method
Sauté ginger and garlic in oil
Add pepper seeds, cucumber and stock.
Stir and simmer over low heat.
When heated through, add nuts, kei chi and salt.
Simmer for another 3-4 minutes before removing from heat.
Sprinkle black pepper and coriander leaves before serving

26 comments:

  1. I was just thinking to make soup... A veg recipe plz..
    Keep in touch,
    www.beingbeautifulandpretty.com

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  2. Hmm that's a new way of cooking old cucumber soup :)

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  3. That looks most refreshing! I haven't used cucumber in soups but I have often used old cucumbers into fish curries. Interesting use of the goji berries (new to me) and the gingko nuts.

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  4. oh! Old cucumber soup is my favourite! From the ingredients, I imagine that its slightly pepperish. My home dont use any pepper corn or garlic. Instead uses dried cuttle fish (to enhance flavour) and wolfberries and red dates (sweetness)

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  5. Very new soup to me.. but looks quite refreshing! Awesome recipe.. Loved the flavors used involving garlic, pepper n all!

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  6. Very nice Nava, Will try this soup for sure, have never added cucumber in soups, very very interesting and a beautiful click...

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  7. Hi Nava, you are indeed very good in Chinese food too. Thumbs up!

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  8. quite interesting soup....lovely...

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  9. I'm really proud to have a Indian blogger friend who's so all versed in Chinese food. Hats off to you, Nava!

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  10. Hi Nava, I sure love your comfort soup, look so appetizing. I love this old cucumber soup but always boil with ribs, dried cuttlefish or oyster.

    Have a great week ahead,regards.

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  11. All your soup recipes are so comforting :) the clicks are so lovely and very inviting

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  12. this soup looks refreshing.adding cucumber to the soup thatz interesting.

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  13. such a cool and comforting soup...looks so good

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  14. never heard about wolfberry :) the name itself is interesting..

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  15. Nava, this is a good soup and great that you have a adviser for all your chinese herb soup.

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  16. This is definitely a healthy soup to make. I agree, Chinese soup are so easy to prepare and I make them a few time a week cos my family loves it. :)

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  17. Adding cucumber in soup is new to me.. Thanks for introducing it..

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  18. quiet interesting soup...never added cucumber in my soup...new to me and very refreshing..and love all the ingredients used in the soup....very tempting clicks!!!!

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  19. The soup looks lovely! Nava I am not sure if we get these berries but they look like goji berries to me, and they are expensive. I will look in an Asian store, though. Using them in soup is a delicious way to get berry benefits.

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  20. I have no clue about some of the ingredients and how they taste like but I am so intrigued by this exotic bowl of soup :)

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  21. I am not familiar with some of the ingredients in this one but I can imagine that this will taste delicious. Great to know about the medicinal qualities of Chinese ingredients. A refreshing soup like this one is perfect to set the mood for lunch or dinner.

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  22. Love the color of this soup & looks very comforting. I have never experimented on these Chinese herbs & fermented ingredients. These nuts & wolf berries sounds interesting. I am thinking of adding these in my next new expirent. It's been a long time since I visited your space & I have missed so many posts of yours.

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  23. very interesting recipe.. lovely clear soup and beautiful clicks

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  24. Interesting to use gingko! Will make it for tomorrow's soup night!

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