Rinse the dried scallops and soak them in the refrigerator overnight, then shred them. Rinse the shiitake mushrooms, soak until soft, drain, and dice. Reserve the soaking water from both the scallops and mushrooms. Peel and devein the shrimp, rinse, pat dry with paper towels, dice, then season with a little salt, white pepper, and a dash of sesame oil. Toss to combine.

Dice the pork and season it. Marinate for 15 minutes. Peel and dice the winter melon.

Add the reserved mushroom soaking water, scallop soaking water, half a box (about 2 cups/475 ml) of chicken broth, and 1/3 pot (about 6 cups/1.4 liters) of water to a pot. Add the shredded scallops, shiitake mushrooms, straw mushrooms, and pork. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 15–20 minutes. Add the winter melon and cook until it turns translucent. Finally, add the shrimp and cook for another 2–3 minutes until done. Taste and adjust with salt and white pepper as needed. Add the night-blooming cereus flowers at the end, if using. Serve as is, or pour over a bowl of white rice.