Now that the air’s beginning to turn crisp, it’s time for us to share this Chinese Winter Melon Soup recipe with meatballs.
Winter melons are grown in summer and harvested in late summer through early winter, making this a great summer/fall transition recipe! (Plus, who doesn’t love meatballs?)
A Light, Nourishing Winter Melon Soup
You will love this Winter Melon Soup with Meatballs because not only do the meatballs come together relatively easily (many of my favorite recipes are made with ground meat, because there’s no rinsing, chopping, deboning, or trimming needed), the soup itself comes together in a flash. The result is an easy, light soup that can make a full meal or serve as a complement to a stir-fry.
We’re also in the late days of summer and early days of fall, when there are hot days mixed in with cool ones, and you might not yet be ready for big bowls of chili or beef soup.
For those with kids going back to school, there’s nothing like a healthy soup to ward off classroom colds! We’ve posted many of our favorite traditional soups over the years—check them all out!
How to Use Winter Melon
Have you noticed? This is our first time cooking with winter melon on the blog!
Winter melon is a big gourd with thick, silvery green skin that cooks quickly when peeled and sliced. Like a pumpkin, you’ll need to trim the outer layer away, and if you store a whole, unpeeled winter melon in a cool, dry place, it has a shelf life of a few months!
With its mellow taste, winter melon is best used in braised dishes, with or without meat, and in soups. But I’ve also seen it in stir-fries with salted pork or ham.
There’s also a famous Chinese pastry—some of you have likely heard of wife cakes, or lao po bing (老婆饼)—with winter melon in the filling. Like other common Chinese pastry fillings (lotus seed paste, red bean paste, taro, etc.), if you cook down winter melon and add sugar, it makes an excellent sweet treat.
Making a Perfectly Tender Chinese Meatball
You’ll see that the instructions for the meatballs includes a step to “whip” in one direction for 10 minutes.
Many have asked why our meat filling recipes often say to whip the filling for a long period of time, and also why in only one direction?
It’s a way to strengthen the fibers of the meat, emulsifying it so everything binds well together. It also changes the texture of the meat, making it less “meaty” and more elastic and snappy.
In many Asian meatball and fish ball recipes, you’ll see people smashing the meat mixture to give them a more pleasant and springy texture. This is really best done by hand, but for a similar effect, you could also use an electric mixer (I include instructions for both in the recipe below!)
Winter Melon Soup with Meatballs: Recipe Instructions
Put all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl.
Whip in one direction for at least 10 minutes by hand using a pair of chopsticks. Use a vigorous circular motion, until the ground meat mixture becomes thick and pasty, with a little resistance as you whip. This is really best done by hand, but for a similar effect, you could also use the paddle attachment of your electric mixer on low speed for 6-7 minutes.
Now, form the meatballs. Brush both of your palms with oil to prevent sticking, take a large spoonful of the meat mixture, and roll it into a ball using both palms. The meatballs should be the size of a golf ball. Arrange them on a lightly oiled plate with space between them. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the soup.
Soak the glass noodles in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain and cut the noodles in half lengthwise. Set aside.
Trim the winter melon, cutting away the outer ⅛-inch of dark green skin.
Rinse and chop into ¼-inch thick chunks.
Place a soup pot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook the white parts of the scallions for about a minute.
Then add 4 cups chicken stock, 2 cups water, and the winter melon.
Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
When the soup is boiling, carefully lower the meatballs into the soup using an oiled spoon. I did it with my hands, but a spoon is safer and easier.
Add in ½ teaspoon ground white pepper and ½ teaspoon sesame oil. Bring to a boil again. Add the glass noodles, stir, and salt to taste.
Boil for another 3-4 minutes, garnish with cilantro and serve!
Chinese Winter Melon Soup with Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground pork (or dark meat chicken, 450g)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
- 1 scallion (finely chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the rest of the soup:
- 1 package glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli, about 50g)
- 1 pound winter melon (450g)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 scallions (white parts only, chopped; set aside or freeze the greens for a stir-fry!)
- 4 cups chicken stock (or pork/chicken stock; about 1L)
- 2 cups water (475 ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- salt (to taste)
- large handful of cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
To make the meatballs:
- Put all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl, and whip in one direction for at least 10 minutes by hand using a pair of chopsticks. Use a vigorous circular motion, until the ground meat mixture becomes thick and pasty, with a little resistance as you whip. You can also do this using the paddle attachment of your electric mixer on low speed for 6-7 minutes.
- Now, form the meatballs. Brush both of your palms with oil to prevent sticking, take a large spoonful of the meat mixture, and roll it into a ball using both palms. The meatballs should be the size of a golf ball. Arrange them on a lightly oiled plate with space between them. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the soup.
To assemble the soup:
- Soak the glass noodles in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain and cut the noodles in half lengthwise. Set aside.
- Trim the winter melon, cutting away the outer ⅛-inch of dark green skin. Rinse and chop into ¼-inch thick chunks.
- Place a soup pot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook the white parts of the scallions for about a minute. Then add 4 cups chicken stock, 2 cups water, and the winter melon. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
- When the soup is boiling, carefully lower the meatballs into the soup using a spoon. Add in ½ teaspoon ground white pepper and ½ teaspoon sesame oil. Bring to a boil again. Add the glass noodles, stir, and salt to taste. Boil for another 3-4 minutes, garnish with cilantro and serve!
