Winter melon and clam soup with stir-fried amaranth
Winter melon and clams simmered into a clear, briny soup, with a plate of garlicky amaranth — heat-clearing and damp-draining for Grain Buds.
- 45 min
- Serves 3
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-heat types suffer a bitter taste, bad breath, dark urine and oily, spotty skin, and feel worst as damp heat rises in Grain Buds. Winter melon simmered in its skin clears heat and drains water, clams clear damp heat and amaranth clears toxins; a light soup and greens help flush out damp heat.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 25 min- 1Soak the clams in lightly salted water for 1 hour to purge the sand and scrub the shells. Wash the winter melon and cut it into chunks with the skin on.
- 2Bring the water to the boil with the ginger and winter melon and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes until translucent.
- 3Add the clams and cook until they all open, then add the spring onion and salt. Discard any that stay closed.
- 4Fry the garlic in hot oil, add the amaranth and stir-fry for 2 minutes until wilted, then season with salt.
Cautions
- Not suitable if you are allergic to shellfish; cook the clams until they open.
- Quite cooling overall; go easy if your digestion runs cold.
Chef's tips
- Keep the winter melon skin on for a stronger draining effect, and add the clams last, turning off the heat as soon as they open so they stay tender.
The TCM view
Winter melon is sweet, bland and slightly cold, clearing heat and draining water, and its skin drains even more strongly. Clam is sweet, salty and cold, clearing heat and damp. Amaranth is sweet and cool, clearing heat and toxins; ginger tempers the coldness. It clears damp heat without harming the stomach.
