Chinese Meatball Soup (Winter Melon Optional)

Hi,

We were at H Mart recently and R was intrigued with the Winter Melon. I think he thought it might be similar to a Honeydew Melon, but once we got it home and I did a little research, I found that Winter Melon is more like a cucumber in sweetness and texture. Okay, so now I had to figure out what to do with it. I found this recipe, on allrecipes.com and adapted it quite a bit from the original. I think it would be fine without the winter melon and I think in the future I plan to make it without.

Preheat over to 400 degrees. First you have to make the meatballs.

1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 egg

Mix all the ingredients listed above together until well mixed. Form the mixture into golf ball sized balls. If you have some around, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, to make clean-up so much faster. Place meat balls on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in 400 degree oven until browned, around 15 minutes. While the meatballs brown, continue working on the soup.

6 cups water
2 pounds Winter Melon, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 slices fresh ginger
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
black pepper (healthy amount)
1/2 bag frozen spinach
(bok choy or celery, thinly sliced)

Add the above ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes or until the veggies are cooked, but still a bit crispy. The original recipe didn't call for anymore veggies other than the winter melon. I felt like it needed more veggies, so I added 1/2 package of frozen spinach. I think you could also add some fresh bok choy or thinly sliced celery.

(thinly sliced green onions and cilantro)

When the meatballs are browned add to the soup and simmer gently for 10 more minutes. Check to see that the meatballs are cooked through. I ended up simmer the soup for longer and the meatballs started to fall apart a bit, but I thought the soup was still delicious. Check to see if the soup needs a bit more salt or pepper. I liked to finish the soup, just before serving, with a sprinkle or green onions and cilantro.

Hope you enjoy this soup. It heats up well for lunch or dinner the next day.

Hugs,
Mameekosan