Another variant of pork bone soup that less sweet and more hearty. Despite the name “winter melon”, this soup is good in all seasons. It also tastes nothing like the winter melon flavored bubble tea that some stores sell.

Winter melons are massive (roughly the size of a large watermelon), and one melon will likely be enough for several pots of soup. Luckily, most places sell them in quarters.

Winter Melon Soup #

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 3 hours

Ingredients (Serves 8) #

• 1.5-2 lb of pork bones (the kind with marrow)
• 1/4 winter melon
• 6-12 dried jujubes
• 1 cup dried barley
• 1 1-inch chunk of ginger
• 1/4 cup dried scallops (optional)
• salt

Directions #

1. Remove the skin and seeds from the winter melon, and cut it into 1 inch cubes.
2. Put everything in a large pot and cover with water, then turn on the stove.
3. When the water boils, reduce to a simmer and cook for two and a half hours. Check in after 30 minutes and skim off any impurities that appear at the top. If too much water boils off, add more water and bring the temperature back up.
4. Skim off any remaining impurities floating on top, add salt to taste, and serve.

Variations #

• The cafeteria at work likes to make a variant without meat but with black pepper and clear vermicelli. I’ll update this recipe once I figure out the details.