Melon soup is a refreshing, nutritious dish for hot summer days. Let’s get cooking with Tastetutorial.com and prepare 2 soup dishes with melon cooked with shrimp and melon soup with meatballs to treat your family!
1. Melon soup with shrimp
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Preparation
10 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Melon soup with shrimp Serves 3
Shrimp 200 gr Melon 1 kg (about 1 fruit) Minced shallots 2 tablespoons Chopped green onions A little Seasoning A little (sugar/salt/MSG/seasoning powder/pepper) Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 1 tablespoon
How to choose fresh shrimp
- Observe the outside of the shrimp: the shrimp’s body is slightly curved, firm but not unusually plump, the shell joints on the shrimp’s body are flexible, not loose, the head and body of the shrimp are tightly attached, the head does not fall off from the body.
- If the shrimp is fresh, it will have a transparent outer shell without any foul or rotten smell. Shrimp with dark spots or uneven colors, bruising, or sliminess may have gone bad.
- Fresh, clean, and naturally plump shrimp usually have their tails tucked together. In contrast, shrimp that have been pumped with chemicals or injected with water to make them plump will have their tails spread out.
See more: How to choose fresh shrimp and how to store fresh shrimp in the refrigerator for a long time
How to make Winter Melon Soup with Shrimp
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Prepare the shrimp
After buying the shrimp, peel off all the hard shell, remove the shrimp’s intestines, leaving only the shrimp and its whiskers.
Quick way to remove shrimp intestines:- After peeling the shrimp, you can use a knife to cut along the back and take out the shrimp intestines.
- Another way is to squeeze out the shrimp’s intestines, then use your two fingertips to pinch the shrimp’s intestines tightly and pull them out; the shrimp intestines will come out along with it.
After peeling the shrimp, rinse them with 500ml of water mixed with 1-2 tablespoons of salt to clean and reduce the fishy odor. Then simply rinse the shrimp again with normal water once more.
See details at: Simple tips to eliminate the fishy smell from seafood
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Marinate the shrimp
After the shrimp is cleaned and drained, marinate the shrimp for 15 minutes with 1 teaspoon of seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1/2 teaspoon of minced shallots.
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Prepare the winter melon
Use a knife to peel the winter melon, then cut the melon into pieces about 5 – 7 cm long, halve it, and remove the seeds.
Next, wash the winter melon and cut it into thin slices of 0.5 cm either horizontally or vertically as desired.
Note: The seeds can be removed or left in for the soup, but leaving the seeds may make the soup sour, and for melons with large seeds, it is better to remove them for a tastier soup.
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Stir-fried shrimp
Place a pot on the stove and sauté the remaining minced shallots with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
When the shallots are golden and fragrant, add the shrimp and stir-fry until they turn a pink-orange color, firm up, and curl into a C shape, then add 1 bowl of water.
When the water boils, skim off the foam and add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, then season to taste.
Next, add the squash and cook until the water boils, then sprinkle in some chopped green onions before turning off the heat.
Tip: Keep the heat high and do not cover the pot to maintain the bright green color of the squash.
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Final product
Thanks to the harmonious blend of shrimp and squash, the soup has a sweet and rich flavor, making it very suitable for hot lunch days.
In addition to the cooking method above, you might want to check out another way to cook fresh shrimp squash soup that is really delicious at home:
See details: How to cook fresh shrimp squash soup (recipe shared by a user)
2. Winter Melon Soup with Pork Meatballs
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Preparation
35 minutes
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Cooking
25 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Winter Melon Soup with Pork Meatballs For 3 people
Winter melon 1 piece (400gr) Pork sausage 150 gr Garlic 3 cloves Green onion 2 stalks Shallot 2 bulbs Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common seasoning a little (seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate/ ground pepper)
How to choose fresh and delicious pork sausage
- You should buy pork sausage that is still well-packaged, carefully sealed, and airtight to ensure cleanliness and safety without dust or insects getting in.
- Since it is a packaged product, pay attention to the expiration date, reliable production place, and the sausage inside should have a uniform light pink color, smooth texture.
- Do not buy pork sausage that shows signs of meat and fat due to improper grinding, has an unusual odor, as this may indicate that the sausage has expired and is no longer usable.
- If you have time, you can refer to the method of making pork sausage at home according to the recipe from Tastetutorial.com below.
How to prepare Melon Soup with Pork Balls
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Prepare the ingredients
With 1 melon weighing about 400g, wash it thoroughly, then peel, cut in half, and remove the seeds and pulp. Finally, using a grater, grate the melon into long thin strips.
Next, wash 2 stalks of green onions, then chop them finely.
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Marinate the winter melon
Place the winter melon in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of seasoning, then gently mix the winter melon and marinate for 5 minutes.
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Shape the meatballs and cook the soup
Take a sufficient amount of meat mixture in clean hands, then roll it into balls.
Turn on the stove on high heat, add 1 liter of filtered water into the pot, when the water boils, add the meatballs one by one and cook for 5 minutes until the meatballs float.
Then, add all the winter melon, continue to cook the soup for another 3 minutes. Finally, adjust the seasoning to taste and you can turn off the stove.
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Final Product
So the melon soup with meatballs is now complete. The hot bowl of soup contains not only the tender and chewy meatballs, the sweet and fragrant melon strands along with the refreshing broth, but also the dedication of the cook offered to their beloved family, making the dish even more appealing and delicious.
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Melon
- You should choose large, straight melons that feel firm in hand, with naturally green skin; if the melon has black skin, it means it is overripe, and will not taste good or sweet when cooked.
- A good melon will have a large and plump stem; when you press on the body of the fruit, you will feel its firmness and juiciness.
- Do not buy melons that are soft, as these are wilted fruits that will not retain freshness and the characteristic flavor of melon when cooked.
Above are 2 ways to cook pumpkin soup with shrimp and mushroom refreshing for the family meal. If you have finished watching these 2 recipes, go to the kitchen and make them right away, wish you success!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel: RURAL CUISINE and Cooking DT.
