Winter Melon Soup Bowl
A classic Cantonese dish: the whole melon is steamed as a bowl, its flesh turns sweet and tender, absorbing rich broth and savoury fillings.
Ingredients
14 items- Winter melon 1 (about 1.5 kg)
- Dried scallops (conpoy) 20 g
- Dried shiitake mushrooms 4
- Lean pork 100 g
- Shrimp (peeled) 50 g
- Ham 30 g
- Ginger 3 slices
- Broth 500 ml
- Scallions to taste
- Light soy sauce 1 tbsp
- Oyster sauce 0.5 tbsp
- White pepper a pinch
- Salt to taste
- Cooking oil 1 tbsp
Nutrition
Steps （9 steps）
Rinse the melon. Cut off a 3‑cm top to form a lid. Scoop out seeds and pulp to create a hollow bowl.
Soak scallops and mushrooms in warm water for 15 min; shred scallops, dice mushrooms. Marinate pork with wine and salt for 5 min. Clean shrimp, dice ham.
Heat oil in a wok over medium heat, sauté ginger until fragrant. Add pork and stir‑fry until colour changes, about 2 min.
Add mushrooms, shrimp, ham and shredded scallops. Stir‑fry over high heat for 1 min. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce and white pepper. Mix well, turn off heat.
Spoon the filling into the melon bowl, spreading evenly, no more than 80 % full.
Slowly pour broth into the melon bowl until it just covers the filling by about 0.5 cm.
Cover the melon with its lid. Place the melon bowl in a deep dish or steaming plate. Set into a steamer.
Bring the steamer water to a boil over high heat. Steam the melon bowl on high for 20 min, then reduce to low heat and steam for another 1.5 h, until the melon flesh is translucent and can be easily pierced with a chopstick.
Remove the melon bowl, uncover, sprinkle scallions. Taste the broth and add salt if needed. Serve directly in the bowl; scoop out flesh and filling with a spoon.
Tips
Choose a melon with even shape and intact skin. Adjust steaming time according to size – cook until completely soft. Place a deep plate underneath to catch any overflowing broth. Serve hot.
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