Chinese Winter Melon Soup

Chinese winter melon soup in a bowl

The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 55 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Chinese winter melon soup is a popular dish that is often served in Chinese households and at Chinese banquets. Winter melon usually has a light refreshing sweetness with a soft texture once cooked. However, it does not contribute a lot of taste to a dish and instead absorbs the flavors of the ingredients it is combined with. Chinese people believe winter melon is a Yin food that can help our bodies to counter the summer heat and humidity.

There are many different methods to prepare winter melon soup; this recipe uses shiitake mushrooms and ham. If you have trouble finding Chinese ham, you can replace it with another cured ham.

Chinese Winter Melon Soup

"This is a very soothing soup I'd eat on a rainy day. The broth is infused with flavor from the ham. The melon and shiitake mushrooms are soft and tender, and there's a mellow ginger fragrance to the broth." —Jasmine Smith

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound winter melon

  • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms

  • 2 cups chicken broth

  • 2 to 3 slices ginger

  • 1/4 cup diced cooked ham

  • Fine salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 green onion, green part only, thinly sliced

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Chinese winter melon soup gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  2. Wash the winter melon. Remove the green skin, seeds, and pulp. Cut into 2-inch pieces.

    Chinese winter melon cut into pieces on a plate

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  3. Place the winter melon in a large saucepan of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the melon is tender, about 20 minutes.

    Winter melon boiling in a pot of water

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  4. Meanwhile, place dried shiitake mushrooms in a small bowl. Cover with cold water to reconstitute the mushrooms, about 20 minutes.

    Shiiitake mushrooms covered with cold water in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  5. Squeeze out any excess water from the mushrooms.

    Squeezing the water out of the shiitake mushrooms into the bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  6. Add the mushrooms, chicken broth, ginger, and ham. Add salt and pepper to taste.

    Mushrooms, chicken broth, ginger, and cooked ham in a pot with winter melon

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

  7. Simmer on low heat until the broth is infused with the flavors of the ginger and ham, about 20 minutes. Divide the soup between 4 bowls, garnish with green onion, and serve immediately.

    Bowl and pot of Chinese winter melon soup next to each other

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

Tips

  • If winter melon is unavailable, you can use a peeled and seeded cucumber instead.
  • If you want more mushroom flavor, don't squeeze the excess liquid from the shiitake's after steeping.
  • To save time, cut the melon in advance and refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. You can save even more time by cooking the melon in the water in advance, cooling, and refrigerating until ready to move forward with the recipe.

Recipe Variations

  • It's easy to add to this simple soup without altering the recipe's intention. Feel free to replace the ham with barbecued pork or shrimp or add either or both to the ham.
  • You can also include other vegetables, such as bamboo shoots, carrots, or silk squash.
  • Add some rice to the soup.
  • Garnish with some crispy lotus chips.
  • To make this dish a bit fancier and more impressive, purchase a whole 8 to 10-pound winter melon; cut off the top, remove the seeds and pulp, and place the other ingredients inside. Steam for 1 to 2 hours.

How to Store

  • Store any remaining soup refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
  • The soup can be frozen for up to 1 month.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
64 Calories
1g Fat
11g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 64
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 8mg 3%
Sodium 756mg 33%
Total Carbohydrate 11g 4%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 9mg 45%
Calcium 26mg 2%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 276mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)