Food & Cooking Recipes Soups, Stews & Stocks Soup Recipes The Empress's Secret Beauty Soup 3.0 (8) Add your rating & review By Martha Stewart Test Kitchen Martha Stewart Test Kitchen The recipes developed by our test kitchen team have undergone a rigorous process of development and testing, ensuring that every element is optimal, from ingredient amounts to method and cooking time. This process includes triple-testing recipes to ensure they meet our high standards. The many stellar cooks and food editors who have been part of our team include Sarah Carey, Lucinda Scala Quinn, Jennifer Aaronson, Shira Bocar, Anna Kovel, Greg Lofts, Riley Wofford, Lauren Tyrell, and Lindsay Leopold. Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 14, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Jonathon Kantor Servings: 4 It is rumored that this soup was a favorite with a Chinese empress and the concubines in the Forbidden City. Serve it as an elegant light lunch or as a refreshing first course for dinner. Ingredients ¼ cup rolled oats ¼ cup wheat berries ¼ cup barley ¼ cup brown rice ¼ cup buckwheat kasha 1 pound watermelon rind cut into 4-inch-long strips (about 3 cups of watermelon rind) 7 ½ cups spring water ½ cup rock sugar broken into small pieces 2 green tea bags Directions In a large saucepan, combine the five grains, watermelon rind, and 6 cups of spring water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low, and simmer until the liquid is reduced to 4 cups, about 50 minutes. In a small saucepan, combine the rock sugar, tea bags, and 1 1/2 cups of spring water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then simmer for 2 minutes, then remove tea bags. Continue to simmer the mixture until the rock sugar dissolves. Discard rind. Ladle soup into serving bowls, flavor with sugar and green-tea mixture. Serve warm or cold. Cook's Notes Watermelon rinds add flavor to the broth during cooking. Rate it Print