Winter Melon Soup with Pork Balls

This is a Chinese-style winter melon soup with homemade pork balls, cooked and served in the casserole. Last week, I made a long & slow Chinese winter melon soup by simmering the soup for more than 2 hours. On more “normal” days though, lazy me prefer a fast & easy version like this one which can be whipped up within 30 minutes.

See Also:

• Chinese Winter Melon Soup Recipe
• Easy Chinese Soups Recipes
• Cooking during Lockdown

Glass noodles (tang hoon/冬粉) make this dish a one-dish meal or a more filling soup dish. The glass noodles soak up the delicious wholesome chicken broth.

INGREDIENTS

For ease of preparation, select a disc shaped piece of winter melon which is easier to cut.

Remove the skin and the middle seeds. Then slice the winter melon flesh to large chunks if you are simmering the soup for a long time.

Further cut each chunk to half to get cubed winter melon. This will be used for quick cooking soups like this recipe.

The highlight of this dish (other than the winter melon) is the homemade pork balls. For best results, use minced pork with some fats on (I got mine from the pork deli counter at Sheng Siong) as it is more flavourful & tender. Marinate the meat with seasonings and corn flour for at least 15 minutes. I love to prepare this at night and let the mince marinate overnight in the fridge because it frees up time for me in the day, while allowing the flavours to permeate overnight (入味).

Shape the mince pork into even-sized balls. And here’s the rest of the ingredients: winter melon cubes, glass noodles, ginger, carrot and the short-cut: tetra-pak chicken broth. You can also use any homemade broth such as anchovies stock as the base. The tetra-pak type of broth is very rich tasting compared to bouillon cube so it is suitable in a Chinese soup dish like this one. Both winter melon & glass noodles are neutral in taste, so they absorb the sweetness of the soup after cooking.

This is what my casserole looks like right off the stove. You can see that there is a lot of soup. Serve it right away as the glass noodles will soak up & reduce the soup gradually. If you making the soup slightly ahead, add the glass noodles only when reheating the dish to serve.

First posted in Mar 2011, updated with improved recipe in Apr 2020.

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Winter Melon Soup with Pork Balls Recipe

For meat balls that are tender when cooked, use mince pork with some fats on, follow the marinate ingredients closely and lastly, do not overcook them.

Glass noodles are optional but is an ideal addition for this dish. However, the noodles soak up the soup gradually so add them only when ready to serve.

Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients:

Click here for the ingredients photos

• 150g minced pork (or chicken)
• 300g winter melon flesh cubes
  
• 200 ml tetra-pak chicken broth
• 250 ml water
• 8 slices carrot optional: cut to flower shapes
• 3 slices of ginger
• 1 bundle (50g) glass noodles (tang hoon/冬粉) soaked in water until softened, then drained
• chopped spring onions to garnish

Marinade ingredients (A)

• 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce may substitute with same amount of light soy sauce
• 3 dashes white pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp Chinese Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp corn starch (flour)

Directions:

1. Marinade mince pork with (A) for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge. Using 1 tbsp at a time, shape the marinated meat to individual meat balls. Set aside.
2. Cook the winter melon. In a soup pot, add winter melon cubes, chicken broth, water, carrot & ginger. When the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes, or until the winter melon cubes turn slightly translucent.
3. Add the meat balls and cook until no longer red, then cover with lid and simmer for another minute.
4. Finish up cooking by adding the glass noodles while the soup is bubbling. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve immediately.

Cooking Note(s):

1. As a short-cut, this recipe uses the tetra-pak type of instant chicken broth as a base which is concentrated and rich in taste. That is why it is needed to thin the soup with water.  You can substitute the liquids in this recipe with 550ml homemade broth (such as anchovies or chicken) or other instant soup (such as bouillon cube).
2. Click here to learn how to select and cut the winter melon.
3. Once the glass noodles are added, the dish should be served immediately because the noodles will soak up & reduce the soup with time. If you are making this dish in advance, add the glass noodles only when you reheating the soup to serve.

Ingredients Used: chicken broth • cornflour • fish sauce • mince pork • pork • sesame oil • soy sauce • soy sauce (light) • spring onion • white pepper powder • winter melon