Traditional Chinese Winter Melon Soup Recipe (2024)

Liv Wan is a former professional chef who has published three cookbooks about Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine.

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Updated on 03/1/24

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Ingredients

1/2 pound winter melon
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 cups chicken broth
2 to 3 slices ginger
1/4 cup diced cooked ham
Fine salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 green onion,green part only, thinly sliced

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Wash the winter melon. Remove the green skin, seeds, and pulp. Cut into 2-inch pieces.
Place the winter melon in a large saucepan of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the melon is tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place dried shiitake mushrooms in a small bowl. Cover with cold water to reconstitute the mushrooms, about 20 minutes.
Squeeze out any excess water from the mushrooms.
Add the mushrooms, chicken broth, ginger, and ham. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer on low heat until the broth is infused with the flavors of the ginger and ham, about 20 minutes. Divide the soup between 4 bowls, garnish with green onion, and serve immediately.

Tips

If winter melon is unavailable, you can use a peeled and seeded cucumber instead.
If you want more mushroom flavor, don't squeeze the excess liquid from the shiitake's after steeping.
To save time, cut the melon in advance and refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. You can save even more time by cooking the melon in the water in advance, cooling, and refrigerating until ready to move forward with the recipe.

Recipe Variations

It's easy to add to this simple soup without altering the recipe's intention. Feel free to replace the ham with barbecued pork or shrimp or add either or both to the ham.
You can also include other vegetables, such as bamboo shoots, carrots, or silk squash.
Add some rice to the soup.
Garnish with some crispy lotus chips.
To make this dish a bit fancier and more impressive, purchase a whole 8 to 10-pound winter melon; cut off the top, remove the seeds and pulp, and place the other ingredients inside. Steam for 1 to 2 hours.

How to Store

Store any remaining soup refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
The soup can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Tips for Cooking Chinese Food

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
64	Calories
1g	Fat
11g	Carbs
4g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	64
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g	1%
Saturated Fat 0g	1%
Cholesterol 8mg	3%
Sodium 756mg	33%
Total Carbohydrate 11g	4%
Dietary Fiber 2g	6%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 9mg	45%
Calcium 26mg	2%
Iron 1mg	5%
Potassium 276mg	6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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Traditional Chinese Winter Melon Soup Recipe (2024)

Tips

Recipe Variations

How to Store

References