Winter Melon & Mung Bean Soup | IDDSI Level 3 Recipe

IDDSI Level 3 (Liquidised) | 50 minutes | Easy | Vegetarian

冬瓜綠豆湯 (winter melon and mung bean soup) is a classic Cantonese cooling soup, widely prepared in summer months to clear heat and support hydration. Winter melon has one of the highest water contents of any vegetable (approximately 96%), and mung beans — when cooked until fully soft — blend into a smooth, lightly starchy liquid that naturally thickens the soup to a gentle Level 3 consistency. Together, they produce a pale, clean-tasting soup that is particularly well-suited to hot weather and to residents with reduced thirst sensation who need encouragement to maintain fluid intake.

Ingredients (3–4 servings)

Main:

• 400g winter melon (冬瓜), peeled, deseeded and cut into 3cm cubes
• 80g dried mung beans (綠豆), rinsed and soaked in cold water for 2 hours
• 1 litre vegetable stock (low sodium)
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon rock sugar (冰糖), or to taste

Seasoning:

• Salt to taste (optional — the natural sweetness of winter melon and rock sugar usually provides sufficient flavour)

Method

1. Drain the soaked mung beans. Combine with stock and ginger slices in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium simmer and cook for 25 minutes until mung beans are completely soft and beginning to split open.
2. Add winter melon cubes. Continue to simmer for a further 15 minutes until winter melon is completely translucent and collapses under spoon pressure.
3. Add rock sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove and discard ginger slices.
4. Transfer all contents to a blender; blend on high speed for 2 minutes until completely smooth.
5. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing firmly; discard any mung bean skin or fibrous residue.
6. Return to low heat; taste and adjust sweetness with additional rock sugar or a pinch of salt.
7. Confirm Level 3 consistency: tilt a loaded spoon — the soup flows slowly and continuously. The mung bean starch provides natural body; if too thick, add warm stock.

Texture Test

IDDSI Level 3 confirmation: When a spoon is tilted, the soup flows slowly and continuously. The mung bean starch creates a gently thickened, smooth consistency without added thickener. No mung bean skin fragments or winter melon particles remain. IDDSI syringe test: 1–10ml expelled over 10 seconds.

Safety Notes

Mung bean soaking — soaking for 2 hours is essential to reduce cooking time and ensure the beans reach a fully soft, easily blendable consistency. Under-cooked mung beans will not blend smoothly.

Mung bean skins — mung bean skins are tough and fibrous; thorough sieving is required to remove all skin fragments from the final soup.

Rock sugar level — adjust sweetness according to resident preference and dietary guidelines; omit or reduce sugar for residents with diabetes.

Sourcing Outside Hong Kong

For international care kitchens and home cooks outside Hong Kong, Cantonese ingredients are widely available at East and Southeast Asian grocery stores:

• United Kingdom: Wing Yip (Birmingham, London, Manchester), See Woo (London), Loon Fung (London)
• United States: 99 Ranch Market (West Coast), H Mart (East Coast), local Chinatown grocers
• Canada: T&T Supermarket (national chain), local Asian markets
• Australia: Burlington Supermarket, Tang’s, local Chinese grocers in Chinatown precincts
• Singapore & Malaysia: Sheng Siong, NTUC FairPrice (Singapore); Tesco, Mydin (Malaysia)
• Online: Sous Chef (UK/EU), Amazon.com (US), Yami.com (US)

Winter melon (冬瓜): East Asian grocers; Wing Yip, H Mart, T&T, and Sheng Siong carry fresh or pre-cut portions.

If a specific ingredient is unavailable in your region, the recipe notes alternative substitutions in the Ingredients section. For dishes requiring fresh Cantonese-specific ingredients (e.g. preserved century egg, fresh rice noodle rolls), check with your local East Asian grocer before substituting — texture compliance for IDDSI levels may require specific products.

Nutrition

Approximately 100 kcal per serving (250ml), 4g protein, 22g carbohydrates, under 1g fat. This is one of the lowest-calorie soups in the collection, making it suitable for residents on calorie-restricted diets. Winter melon is extremely low in calories and sodium while high in water — ideal for supporting kidney function. Mung beans provide plant protein, B vitamins and folate. The combination is a nutritionally sound hydration soup.

Cultural Note

In Cantonese dietary tradition, both winter melon and mung beans are classified as “cooling” (涼性) foods — foods believed to reduce internal heat, support urinary function and calm the body in hot weather. 冬瓜綠豆湯 is a staple summer soup throughout Guangdong and Hong Kong, frequently sipped as a cooling drink in the afternoon heat. By presenting it in Level 3 blended form, this traditional summer health soup becomes a safe, accessible hydration option for residents with dysphagia — carrying the cooling intent of Cantonese food wisdom into the clinical setting with full integrity.