Chilled Cucumber Seaweed Soup and Black Bean Rice

A cold, tangy seaweed soup served with rice cooked with black beans. In the five-element tradition this is a Water meal with a cool nature, eaten in summer and early autumn.

Elements	Water
Good in	summer, autumn
Suits	a warm-running (hot) constitution
Serves	2 · 15 min

Why the tradition reads it as Water

Almost everything on this table points to Water (水). Seaweed carries the salty taste of the sea, and salty is the taste the tradition assigns to Water. Black beans and black sesame are black, the colour of Water, and because they go into the rice, the Water element is part of every spoonful of the meal.

The pear adds a quiet twist. It is white, the colour of Metal (金), and in the generating cycle Metal gives birth to Water (金生水). So the pear is read as feeding the Water theme rather than competing with it. Vinegar adds sourness, the taste of Wood, to wake up a summer appetite.

Ingredients of Chilled Cucumber Seaweed Soup with Black Bean Rice and the element the app gives each
Ingredient	Amount	Element
Dried seaweed (miyeok)	10 g	Water
Cucumber	1	Wood + Water
Asian pear	0.5	Metal
Black beans and black sesame	3 tbsp	Water
Vinegar	2 tbsp	Wood
Soy sauce and sugar	1 tsp each	Earth

Season and body type

The app suggests this dish for summer and autumn. Its nature is cool: cucumber is full of water and mild, and the soup is served with ice. The tradition says cool dishes suit a hot constitution, someone who tends to feel warm and flushed. People who run cold may prefer it on a hot day, with a warm side dish.

This dish at a glance (haru app data)
Item	Value
Elements	Water (水)
Nature	cool
Suits (tradition)	hot constitution
Seasons	summer, autumn
Time	15 minutes
Serves	2

Swaps the app suggests

If an ingredient is missing or does not suit you, the app offers these alternatives, each with its own element:

Thin-cut kelp instead of Dried seaweed (miyeok) (Water): The same Water of the sea.
Julienned radish (1 handful) instead of Cucumber (Metal): A refreshing taste that adds Metal.
Black rice instead of Black beans and black sesame (Water): A black grain that adds Water.
Lemon juice instead of Vinegar (Wood): Sourness that wakes up the appetite.
Salt and sugar instead of Soy sauce and sugar (Earth): For seasoning.

Ingredients

Dried seaweed (miyeok) 10 g (Water)
The salty taste of the sea tops up a lacking Water element.
Cucumber 1 (Wood, Water)
Juicy and cool in nature; read as easing body heat.
Asian pear 0.5 (Metal)
White, a Metal food. Metal gives birth to Water (金生水), easing thirst.
Black beans and black sesame 3 tbsp (Water)
Black is the colour of Water; in the rice it adds Water all day.
Vinegar 2 tbsp (Wood)
Sour is the taste of Wood. It wakes up the appetite.
Soy sauce and sugar 1 tsp each (Earth)
For seasoning.

How to make it

Soak the black beans, then cook them together with the rice.
Soak the seaweed in water for 10 minutes, rinse, and cut into bite-size pieces.
Cut the cucumber and pear into thin matchsticks.
Season 3 cups of cold water with the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar.
Add the seaweed, cucumber and pear, float some ice on top, and sprinkle with black sesame.

Questions

Do I need to cook the soup?

No. Only the rice is cooked. The soup is cold water seasoned with vinegar, soy sauce and sugar, so the whole meal takes about 15 minutes once the beans are soaked.

What can I use instead of black beans?

The app suggests black rice. Like black beans and black sesame, it is a black grain, so the tradition still reads it as Water.

Solar terms in this season

Lixia 立夏, Start of Summer Xiaoman 小滿, Grain Buds Mangzhong Xiazhi Xiaoshu Dashu Liqiu Chushu Bailu Qiufen Cold Dew Frost Descent

Yin-Yang and the Five Elements: The FoundationWhat yin-yang and the five elements mean in the East Asian calendar, how ten stems and twelve branches are sorted by them, and how a chart is counted.The Generating and Controlling Cycles of the Five ElementsHow the five elements feed one another in the generating cycle and keep one another in check in the controlling cycle, with two real days worked out.Dashu (大暑): Major Heat and the Peak of SummerDashu, Major Heat, at sun longitude 120°: 2026 and 2027 KST times, fireflies and tropical nights, haru's summer dishes and calm ways to handle the heat.Braised Tofu with Kelp: a Water and Earth Side DishTofu braised in kelp broth and soy sauce in 20 minutes. An even, year-round side dish the tradition reads as Water and Earth together.Black Sesame Porridge: a Black, Water-Element BowlBlack sesame porridge in 20 minutes with 4 tbsp black sesame and glutinous rice. Why black foods are read as Water, for autumn and winter tables.

See it for your chart → Open Haru

Traditional Four Pillars (myeongni) and yin-yang five-element interpretation. Not a medical diagnosis or advice.