Winter Melon and Pork Rib Soup
冬瓜排骨汤·(dōngguā páigǔ tāng)
Lou Fo Tong: Mother's Slow-Simmered Love
The pale green winter melon rests on the board, the heavy stainless cleaver sits ready, and the blanched pork spare ribs drain in the sink. This soup demands two hours of a barely trembling simmer, bone-in pork, and winter melon left stubbornly on its skin to hold its shape. Don't rush it, don't buy the wrong beans, and for the love of god, blanch your meat from cold water to keep the broth perfectly clear. Ladle the clean, restorative savor of the finished pork soup over steamed jasmine rice, and eat it scalding.
Ingredients
- pork spareribs1 1/2 lb
- winter melon1 1/2 lb
- fresh ginger3 med slices
- Job's tears1/4 cup
- rice beans1/4 cup
- dried scallops4 small
- candied date1 med
- Shaoxing wine1 tbsp
- cold water10 cup
- salt1 1/2 tsp
- white pepper1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Toast the Job's tears in a dry skillet.
Place the rinsed Job's tears in a dry skillet over medium-low heat without oil. Toast them for 5 to 7 minutes until they are completely dry, slightly golden, and smell nutty; this tempers their medicinal coldness and amplifies their flavor.
- 02
Blanch the pork ribs starting from cold water.
Place the ribs in a large pot, cover with cold water, and add one slice of ginger and the Shaoxing wine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and let it roll for 2 minutes to draw out coagulated blood and impurities, then drain and rinse the ribs thoroughly under warm tap water.
- 03
Simmer the soup base on low heat.
Wash your pot, return the clean ribs to it, and add the remaining ginger, toasted Job's tears, rice beans, dried scallops, candied date, and 10 cups of cold water. Bring to a rolling boil, then immediately drop the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and simmer gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- 04
Add the unpeeled winter melon to the pot.
Drop the winter melon chunks into the pot, cover, and simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes until the flesh is translucent and tender but not falling apart.
- 05
Season with salt only at the very end.
Turn off the heat and stir in the salt and white pepper—salting earlier tightens the meat and clouds the broth. Ladle the hot soup into bowls, eating the tender flesh right off the melon rind.
Notes
You can adapt this to an Instant Pot for busy weeknights.
Prep the grains, melon, and blanch the pork exactly as written on the stovetop. Add the clean pork, toasted grains, beans, scallops, dates, ginger, winter melon, and just 6 cups of water into the pressure cooker. Cook on High Pressure for 25 minutes, allow a 10-minute Natural Release, then open and season.
Ensure you purchase rice beans (Chi Xiao Dou), not standard red adzuki beans.
Standard red beans will turn to mush and belong in sweet dessert soups; authentic rice beans are small, elongated, dark red, and hold their shape during a long simmer.