Amongst my repertoire of soups to cook during the weekends, is the winter melon soup. Winter melon is known to be ‘cooling’ so it is great for hot, humid days. I especially like the clear, refreshing taste that is not too cloying.
I could probably say that this is the only soup using a fruit that I can cook all the time and both the men in my household love it! Yes, winter melon is essentially a fruit although we, Chinese, tend to think of it as a type of vegetable.
That’s not all, winter melon which is also known as wax gourd, contains great nutritional values too. It contains:
- Dietary fibre
- Vitamin K
- Thiamin
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Manganese
- Vitamin C
And it is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and is low calorie (at 24.5cal for 175g).
This soup is usually cooked with pork ribs but I used chicken instead.
Winter Melon Soup Recipe
Ingredients
1 slice of a large winter melon, skinned and cubed (about 200g)
1 pc dried cuttlefish
4 dried red dates
1/4 chicken
Water
Salt to taste
3 pods of garlic
Instructions
1. Season the chicken with salt for about an hour. Optional: remove the chicken skin before seasoning. Then scald it in hot boiling water for a few seconds to remove the scum (just dip it in and take it out).
2. Heat up a pot of water.
3. Dump all the ingredients into the pot including the chicken.
4. Let it simmer for 30 minutes to 45 minutes over low fire. Add salt according to taste.
Alternatively, you can use a slow cooker to cook this overnight. Enjoy.
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