Winter Melon Soup with Meatballs (冬瓜丸子汤)

5 from 16 votes

Published: 02/21/2022Updated: 10/25/2022Author:

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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}

Homemade winter melon soup with meatballs

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.

Winter melon soup with meatballs close-up

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.

Ingredients for making winter melon soup with 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.

Making winter melon soup with meatballs step-by-step

Chinese winter melon soup with meatballs

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.

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