Recipes Included On This Page Winter Melon Soup Use Your Browser's "Back" Button to Return to This Recipe List
	* Exported from MasterCook * Winter Melon Soup Recipe By : Serving Size : Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Volume 8-10 Oct 2005 Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 10 pounds winter melon -- (1 large) Soup Ingredients to be put into cavity of melon 5 cups chicken stock 2 teaspoons dry sherry 1/2 teaspoon sugar 3/4 teaspoon salt 15 lotus seeds -- soaked and skinned 4 large dried mushrooms -- soaked and cut into 1/4-inch squares 1 cup barley -- soaked overnight Other ingredients to be put into cavity of melon 1/3 cup diced roasted pork or roasted duck meat 1 boned and skinned chicken breast -- cut into 1/4-inch cubes 1/3 cup raw lean pork -- cut into 1/4-inch cubes 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 ounces fresh shrimp -- cleaned deveined and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1/2 teaspoon dry sherry 1 pinch white pepper 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch 1/3 cup abalone -- cut into 1/4-inch cubes 1/3 cup coriander -- for garnish Winter melons are available in most Asian grocery stores. The shape is somewhat similar to a long watermelon (not the round seedless ones in other words). You will need a pretty big (tall) pot to cook this. Make sure you have a pot large enough for the melon. Mix 1/3 cup raw lean pork, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix 6 ounces fresh shrimp, cleaned, deveined and cut into 1/2-inch cubes with 1/2 teaspoon dry sherry, 1 pinch white pepper and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/3 cup abalone, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, 1/3 cup coriander for garnishing. Cut off enough of the stem end of the melon for removal of the contents or to fit the pot; remove seeds and soft pulp. Put a piece of cheese cloth under the melon to facilitate removal from pot after cooking, then put melon into the pot. Put soup ingredients into cavity of melon. Steam melon with its soup ingredients for 1 hour, making sure there is enough water in the pot for steaming. Add roast pork or duck meat and steam an additional 15 minutes. Add cubed chicken and pork mixture to the hot broth and stir so that the pieces do not stick together. Steam an additional 15 minutes. Add shrimp mixture, straw mushrooms, abalone and turn off heat. Grasp the corners of the cheesecloth and lift the melon out gently. Place on a large round serving platter. Remove the cheesecloth and garnish with coriander. Serve hot, judiciously scooping out melon pulp to avoid puncturing the shell and not allow soup to leak out. This dish has always been a major undertaking as you can see. However, family and guests who are served this soup always appreciate the effort involved. Basically the melon is used as a container for the soup and is sometimes carved with figures, Chinese characters or geometric patterns to make the melon look like a ceramic piece. Books on Chinese garnishing and vegetable carving can give more information on this matter. The cheesecloth method of handling the melon works but can be replaced by use of a trivet or any flat metal piece which can be placed under the melon with string attached so that the ends of the strings are readily reached from the top. If the melon is immersed in water almost to the top the cooking is controlled better. If the water level is, say, only 1/2 to 1/3 of the height of the melon, the portion out of the water is not as well done as the portion in the water, making handling and serving difficult. Of course, if the entire melon is simply steamed, the cooked melon will be homogeneous, however, it would take a longer time to cook. The top of the melon that is cut off can be peeled, cut into chunks and put into the soup with the rest of the ingredients or it may be reserved for another dish. Source - www.recipe-cookbook.com/ MC format by Hallie. Untried. Contributed to the FareShare Gazette by Hallie; 17 October 2005. www.fareshare.net - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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