街市THE WET MARKET
Old (mature yellow) cucumber
老黃瓜
clears heatdispels dampnesspromotes water metabolismnourishes yinrelieves dryness消暑生津濕疹痕癢食療湯常用
A cucumber left on the vine until fully mature, its skin turned golden-brown and netted, the flesh mellow rather than crisp. It is washed and boiled in big chunks with skin and seeds intact (the traditional way to maximise its damp-clearing reputation) giving a mellow, faintly tangy summer broth.
TCM properties
Nature · cooling Flavour · sweet Meridians · spleen、stomach、large intestine
Traditional food therapy
In Cantonese food therapy old cucumber is used to clear heat and dampness, promote water metabolism and moisten dryness while relieving summer heat, a favourite for muggy-weather pots.
Cautions: read first
- Not much for those with a weak, cold spleen and stomach, or else pair it with warming ingredients such as dried tangerine peel (陳皮) and ginger
Preparation
Wash it and cut into big pieces with the skin and seeds left in (it dispels dampness better that way).
Origin
A summer crop in Guangdong
Availability in Australia
Easy to find
