During the hottest days of summer, many people enjoy eating watermelon to quench thirst and beat the heat. However, while the flesh is consumed, the vibrant green rind is often discarded as "waste."Did you know watermelon rind actually holds nutritional value?
Lan Senlin, Professor of Internal Medicine at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine's First Affiliated Hospital, explains that watermelon rind has a sweet, cool, and slightly cold nature. It clears heat, relieves summer heat, dispels irritability and dampness, promotes fluid production to quench thirst, and enhances diuresis. It can improve appetite and is also known by the elegant name "watermelon green skin."While raw watermelon rind may not be the most palatable, it makes an excellent seasonal ingredient when incorporated into dishes. Why not give it a try?
Three Bean Watermelon Rind Duck Soup
Ingredients: 50g mung beans, 50g white kidney beans, 50g red adzuki beans, 1000g watermelon rind, 15g dried tangerine peel, 1 waterfowl duck (approx. 750g), seasonings to taste.
Method: First, slaughter the water duck, remove feathers and innards, wash thoroughly, and cut into large pieces. Briefly blanch in boiling water with dried tangerine peel, then remove and rinse off any blood residue.Scrape off the outer skin and red flesh from the watermelon rind, wash thoroughly, and cut into large chunks. Place all washed ingredients into a clay pot with 3000ml water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 2 hours. Season to taste.
Benefits: This soup effectively strengthens the spleen, boosts energy, stimulates appetite, aids digestion, clears heat, relieves summer heat, dispels dampness, and detoxifies. It is suitable for general consumption during the intense heat of summer.
Watermelon Rind, Jellyfish, and Luffa Soup
Ingredients: 500g watermelon rind, 250g fresh jellyfish, 500g luffa, 10g fresh bamboo shoot tips.
Method: Rinse fresh bamboo shoot tips and soak for about 20 minutes;Wash the jellyfish, watermelon rind, and loofah. Slice the watermelon rind and cut the loofah into thin strips. Place the jellyfish, watermelon rind, and fresh bamboo shoots in an earthenware pot. Add 2000ml of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the loofah strips, bring to a boil again briefly, and season with salt to taste.
Benefits: Jellyfish clears heat, detoxifies, and cleanses the intestines. Fresh bamboo shoots, cool in nature with a sweet-bitter taste, clear head heat and treat dizziness. Combined with summer squash—a common summer ingredient—this soup effectively clears heat, relieves summer heat, generates fluids to quench thirst, and moistens the intestines to promote urination. Suitable for those experiencing summer heat, thirst, dizziness, poor urination, or poor appetite.