← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 170 g Minced pork
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp Ginger, finely grated
• 1 egg white
• 2 tsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 2 tbsp Water
• pinch of salt
• 700 g Winter melon, peeled, seeded and cut into 2 cm cubes
• 1 l chicken stock
• 2 slices Ginger
• 1 tbsp Dried shrimp, soaked and chopped (optional)
• white pepper, to taste
• 1 handful Coriander (cilantro), chopped

Method

1. Put all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and stir hard in one direction for 1–2 min, until sticky and paste-like.
2. Bring the stock, ginger slices and dried shrimp (if using) to the boil in a large pot. Add the winter melon and simmer for 10 min, until the edges start to turn translucent.
3. Using two teaspoons, drop small balls of the pork mixture into the simmering soup. Cook for 5–6 min, until the meatballs float and are cooked through and the melon is soft and see-through.
4. Season with salt and white pepper, scatter over the coriander and serve hot.

Tips

• Winter melon is sold in wedges at Asian grocers; choose one with firm, bright white flesh. Courgette or daikon are good stand-ins.
• For a pescatarian version, make the meatballs with minced prawns and use vegetable stock.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook Wok and Kin Christine's Recipes