Winter Melon Soup
Light, clear soup of daikon and pork in a ginger broth.
Ingredients
- 1 White radish
- 200 g Pork loin
- 1 Ginger
- 1200 ml Chicken stock
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 Scallions (optional)
- ½ tsp White pepper (optional)
Method
- Peel and cube the daikon, then slice the pork and ginger.
- Bring the stock to a gentle simmer in a pot, then add the ginger and pork and let them flavour the broth.
- Add the daikon and salt and cook at a low simmer until the daikon turns translucent and tender.
- Take the pot off the heat and season with the white pepper.
- Scatter the scallions over and serve.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Winter Melon Soup
Winter Melon Soup is a light, clear Chinese soup prized as much for its restorative simplicity as its flavor. This version is built around white radish (daikon) and pork loin in a ginger-scented broth, a homestyle rendering of the genre where the vegetable is simmered until it turns translucent and yielding. The pork is sliced thin and used as much to flavor the broth as to eat, while ginger perfumes the pot and white pepper, added off the heat at the end, gives a gentle warming finish rather than sharp spice. There's nothing heavy here: it's the kind of quiet, clean soup meant to balance a richer meal.
Eating it, you get a delicate, savory broth, soft translucent radish that has drunk up the ginger and pork, and slivers of tender meat, all lifted by the fresh bite of scallion scattered on top. It's typically served as part of a multi-dish Chinese dinner, a soothing counterpoint to fried or heavily sauced plates, and it's the sort of thing turned to when someone wants something gentle on the stomach. Low in calories and carbs but high in volume and protein, it fills a bowl satisfyingly without weighing you down, and it comes together in about half an hour with a short, humble ingredient list.
Winter Melon Soup: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Winter Melon Soup?
A serving has about 216 calories — 19g protein, 16.1g carbs, 8.5g fat, 1.9g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Winter Melon Soup gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Winter Melon Soup has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Winter Melon Soup take to make?
About 30 minutes start to finish, but only around 16 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Winter Melon Soup?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out scallions, white pepper — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Winter Melon Soup make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.