Winter melon soup is a soothing and comforting dish that is indispensable during the cold winter months. The winter melon is cooked in a fragrant broth until tender, with extra juicy pork meatballs that have a melt-in-your-mouth texture.The soup is very easy to prepare and tastes especially fulfilling. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}
This winter melon soup with meatballs is one of our family’s winter staples. My mom likes to make it on the days that she’s run out of made-ahead meat dishes and is short on time. Although this is a clear broth soup that is loaded with vegetables, the meatballs make it truly satisfying and comforting.
Creating the most tender and juicy meatballs
Having cooked all her life, my mom insists that the meatballs in the winter melon soup be fork-tender and juicy to make this dish excellent. Here are a few tricks she taught me:
- Use ground pork that is not too lean. A lean:fat ratio of 7:3 is ideal.
- Beat a lot of liquid into the ground pork to add moisture to the meatballs.
- Add plenty of aromatics to make the meatballs very fragrant.
- Cook the meatballs for just enough time so they’re not overcooked. She would remove the meatballs from the pot while cooking the winter melon. And at the end she’d turn off the heat and cover the pot to steam the meatballs.
It might sound like a lot of work! But with these extra steps, the meatballs will end up so tender that not only you can cut it with a spoon, but it will also melt into your mouth when you bite into it.
Ingredients
What is winter melon
Winter melon is an essential vegetable for many Chinese families. It can be stored for months and is primarily consumed during wintertime, when there is less variety of fresh veggies available at the market.
Winter melon can grow into a very big fruit, like the size of a large pumpkin. At the supermarket, you’re most likely to see winter melons sold by the slice due to their extreme size. It has a mild taste, and has a similar texture to that of a radish when raw. But once cooked, it will turn very tender and absorb the flavor of the broth it’s cooked in.
How to prepare winter melon
When you cook with winter melon, you need to remove the thick rind and the seeds. To do so:
- Cut the winter melon crosswise into 3 to 4 pieces.
- Place each piece meat-side down and use a knife to cut off the rind. Because the rind is very tough, you want to slice about 1/4” (4 mm) off, rather than simply peel off the outer layer.
- Place the winter melon seed part up. Use your knife to slice off the seeds, along with the adjacent soggy part that feels.
- Once the rind and seeds are removed, slice the winter melon into 1/2” (1 cm) thick large bite-size pieces.
Mise en place
Once you’re done with prep, your table should have: Mixed ground pork, chopped winter melon, chopped cilantro, broth and salt. If you do not like the taste of cilantro, use a few slices of ginger in the broth instead.
NOTE: the mixed ground pork is quite runny, and it is supposed to be like this to create very tender meatballs.
How to cook winter melon soup with meatballs
- Bring the broth to a simmer. Use a spoon to roll up the mixed ground pork to form a ball, then gently drop it into the soup.
- Once all the meatballs are added, cook them for 1 minute, then immediately transfer them to a plate. This step ensures the meatballs are not overcooked.
- Add the winter melon and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the edges just turn semi transparent.
- Transfer the meatballs back to the broth. Turn off heat and cover to steam for 5 minutes.
That’s it!
NOTE: When cooking winter melon soup, be careful not to overcook the melon, as it will turn very soft quickly. Always check the texture of the melon every 2 to 3 minutes and stop cooking when it starts to turn soft and semi-transparent. It will break apart and become mushy if overcooked.
Afterthought
I love cooking with winter melon because it has a nice tender yet meaty texture once cooked, and it tastes like the broth you cook it in.
The winter melon soup recipe here is my family’s favorite way to enjoy winter melon. By adding meatballs, you can easily turn a very light soup dish into a fulfilling one. And you can easily replace the pork broth with chicken broth, or even use water with a bit of chicken bouillon.
Pair winter melon soup with these dishes
- 3-Ingredient Egg Fried Rice (蛋炒饭)
- Cashew Chicken (腰果鸡丁)
- Chinese Mushroom Chicken Stir Fry
- Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with Garlic (蒜蓉炒豆苗)
- One-Pan Chinese Chicken and Rice
Winter Melon Soup with Meatballs (冬瓜丸子汤)
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 6 oz (170 g) ground pork (lean:fat ratio 7:3)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon ginger , grated
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg white
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Soup
- 1 1/2 to 2 lbs (700 to 900 g) winter melon
- 4 cups pork broth (or low-sodium chicken broth) (*see footnote)
- 2 slices ginger (Optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt , or to taste (use 1/4 teaspoon salt if using store-bought broth)
- 1/3 cup cilantro , chopped (For garnish)
Instructions
For the meatballs
- Combine the ground pork, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, minced ginger, salt, egg white and water in a medium-sized bowl. Stir with a spatula to mix well. Add the cornstarch. Mix until the ground pork becomes pasty and sticky. Set aside to marinate.
For the soup
- To prepare the winter melon. Chop it into 3 to 4 pieces. Use a knife to slice the rind off and discard it. Cut off the soft inner part and discard it. Slice the winter melon into even 1/2” (1 cm), large bite-size pieces.
- Add the broth and ginger (if using) to a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn to medium-low heat. Use a spoon to scoop about 1 tablespoon of the ground pork mixture, shape it into a ball, and add it to the soup. Make the meatballs one at a time. After the last meatball is added, cook for 1 minute. Stir the soup gently 2 to 3 times. Immediately transfer all the meatballs to a plate and set aside. The meatballs should be cooked on the outside but still raw inside.
- Add the winter melon to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Turn to medium heat and boil until the winter melon is almost cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. The edges of the winter melon should have turned semi-transparent.
- Add the meatballs back into the soup. Bring the soup back to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat, cover, and allow the soup to sit for another 5 minutes. The residual heat will further gently cook the meatballs so they remain super tender and juicy. Add the salt and mix well. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Add cilantro to the soup and serve hot.
Notes
- Traditionally, the dish is made with homemade pork broth. After moving to the US, I often use store-bought chicken broth. I found both methods delicious, but chicken broth will benefit from a few slices of ginger in the soup. You do not need the ginger if using pork broth.
Delicious! First time I cook winter melon. Thank you so much!
I love your recipe. The texture of the meatball is great, very soft but the shape is holding. I omit the ginger, put in spring onion. Thank you!
One of my favorite dish, and i make chicken meat balls for my soup. I raised the melon this year and was blessed to share with others. I am trying to store one up for the winter months to enjoy at the end of the season. Planning to raise another crop of melons for 2022. A fan of Dong Qua.
So happy to hear you like this one! It’s a family recipe and I enjoyed it growing up 🙂
It’s very impressive that you grow your own winter melon! I’ve never tried because I was afraid the melon grow so big and I cannot finish eating one before it goes bad.
Are they easy to grow? I’m tempted to try it out next year.
I used to eat this all the time when I lived in Beijing, it’s simple but delicious! Unfortunately I can’t find winter melon where I live now… what would you suggest as an alternative? Not the same for sure but… other than green leaf veggies, what would work well, here?
I think a nice alternative is radish because their texture turns tender just like winter melon. The best is daikon radish if you can find it. But other radishes work as well.
Green leaf veggies are great too. I like baby bok choy and napa cabbage (highly recommend). Other green veggies will work as well.
Will try! Thanks so much
The meatballs were great! So tender! Unfortunately I would have to drive 2.5 hours to a market that might have wintermelon I decided to try it with collard greens since they are available right now. After initial cooking of the meatballs, I cooked the greens one bunch at a time. Used more ginger in the broth because the greens are more assertive than delicate
wintermelon. It turned out really well especially with a nice squeeze of sesame oil. I had always cooked wintermelon soup with Virginia ham, so I am looking forward to trying this with wintermelon. Thank you for all your recipes! I really miss home cooking.
So happy to hear you made the soup! I think collard greens would work great and yeah more ginger definitely helps. Next time you can also try radish with the soup, I think it has a nice tender texture that is similar to winter melon once cooked. Thanks for leaving a positive review 🙂
When you mention radish, do you mean the small supermarket version with red skin, or luobo? Thank you again for your wonderful recipes and stories!
Luo bo works better. You can also use daikon.
Hi Maggie
Thank you for this lovely recipe.
How do we change the ingredients if we use only chicken or beef and not pork?
Look forward to your reply.
Thanks!
Never tried that soup before. Loved it! And so easy to prepare.
So happy to hear you tried out this one! It’s a family recipe and my comfort food growing up 🙂
Fantastically delicious recipe. The hints provided to ensure cooking success are wonderful, including the tender meatballs. Thank you!
Delicious! I’m a Hong Konger and my mother made a similar soup when I was growing up. I really missed it so I made it myself. However, this time I replaced the wintermelon with chokoes and carrot and this worked really well. They give the soup a lovely natural sweetness and can be a good substitute if wintermelon is hard to find where you are. The meatballs were sooo tender!
Made this tonight for my wife and son. My wife, who is originally from Beijing, says it is one of the best soups I have made for her in 30 years. And the best thing is that it was super simple and quick! I only made a few changes: 1.) added grated garlic to the meatballs, 2.) sautéed a sliced leek till it was soft, then added it as garnish (I was out of cilantro and scallions and needed something green), and 3.) I boiled a few baby leeks cut in half length-wish in the broth until al dente and removed them before adding the winter melon….bok choy halfs were then added to the top of the soup at the very end.
I have to admit I was skeptical of the meatball mixture because it was indeed runny, and I can see why you need to add them to the simmering broth immediately after making them, but they came out perfectly round and delicious!
Thanks again Maggie!
Absolutely delicious. I made this with my mom some time ago, and it turned out amazing! Neither of us were familiar with winter melon beforehand, so it was quite fun to work with!