Winter melon and minced pork ho fun soup
Diced winter melon and minced pork simmered into a clear broth over silky flat rice noodles — light, cooling and kind to a damp-heat constitution.
- 35 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-heat types tend towards an oily face, a bitter taste in the mouth and spots, and the humid heat of Grain in Ear makes fried, greasy food the worst choice. Winter melon clears heat and drains water, a little pork adds savour, and a clear noodle soup is light and easy to digest — a fresh start that leaves you less stifled.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min- 1Mix the pork with the soy sauce, cornflour and a splash of water and leave for 10 minutes. Peel, deseed and finely dice the winter melon.
- 2Boil the water with the ginger, add the melon and simmer for 10 minutes until translucent. Break the pork into the soup, simmer for 3 minutes and skim.
- 3Blanch the noodles in boiling water and put them in bowls. Season the soup with salt and pepper, ladle it over and scatter with coriander.
Cautions
- If your stomach runs cold or you get diarrhoea easily, eat less winter melon or add more ginger.
Chef's tips
- Keep the melon skin and seeds to boil into a drink; it drains water even better.
The TCM view
Winter melon is sweet, bland and slightly cold, clearing heat, draining water and relieving summer heat. Pork is sweet, salty and neutral, nourishing yin; a little adds flavour without greasiness. Rice noodles are sweet, neutral and easy to digest. Ginger warms the stomach and balances the melon's coldness, while coriander awakens the appetite. It clears heat and damp without harming the stomach.
