Debloat & Reset: Wintermelon Chicken Soup with Dried Cuttlefish & Scallops
This is a wildly underrated recipe but I personally LOVE it. For some reason, wintermelon soup never comes up when people talk about debloating or nourishing meals — it’s not a trending recipe, nor is it most people’s go-to home cooking dish.
This is a one pot recipe, and if you follow my recommendations, no chopping at all. It also has so many quiet health benefits! This is gonna be so good if you feel the need to tone down your meals after consistently having heavy meals❤️
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Naturally gluten-free and low-fat
High protein & fiber!
No chopping required if you use a pre-packed soup kit
Hydrating, light and satisfying
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 35 - 40 minutes (passive cooking)
Serves: 2
Ingredients
750–800ml water
2 whole chicken legs (with bone, ~200g each)
1 wintermelon soup kit (usually includes sliced wintermelon, goji berries & red dates)
1 small/medium dried cuttlefish (should be pre-soaked in warm water)
5 large dried scallops (should be pre-soaked in warm water)
2 tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
Tanghoon (glass noodles), soaked in room temperature water for 15-20 minutes
Method
In a medium pot, par-boil chicken legs. (Note: Par-boiling removes impurities from chicken legs. You do so by submerging chicken legs in room temperature water and then bringing the whole pot to a boil for 4-5 minutes.)
Soak tanghoon in room temperature water and set aside. Prep the rest of the ingredient – Rinse dried cuttlefish, scallops, red dates and wolfberries. If you’re not using a wintermelon soup kit, wash & chop up wintermelon in this step as well.
Set chicken legs aside and refresh the pot by pouring away par-boiled water with impurities and adding fresh water (750-800ml). (TIP: Save the water which soaked the dried cuttlefish & scallops and use it in this step. Top up the rest with plain water)
Add the par-boiled chicken legs, dried scallops, dried cuttlefish, red dates & wintermelon to the pot – Bring to a boil
Reduce heat to a simmer and put lid on the pot with a gap. Simmer for 25 - 35 minutes, depending on the size of ingredients. The soup is ready when the wintermelon has turned slightly translucent and is soft when pierced with a fork.
Once soup is ready, add wolfberries and fish sauce. Taste and adjust with salt (or additional water) if needed.
Add in tanghoon, and fresh cut chilli padi if you wish, and enjoy the slurp!!~
Product(s) Highlight
Storage & FAQ
Q1 How long can I store this soup?
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave.
Q2 What can I substitute if I don’t have a soup kit?
You can use fresh wintermelon, a few dried red dates, and goji berries separately.
Q3 Where do you get the soup kit and dried ingredients?
I usually get most of my recipe ingredients from RedMart — check out the links below:)
Q4 Can I skip the chicken?
I won’t recommend it unless you are okay with a super light version. Meat & bones provide a rich depth of flavour that is hard to substitute. Alternatively, you may substitute chicken with pork prime/spare ribs.
