Winter Melon Soup With Dried Scallops Food

WINTER MELON SOUP

Steps:

• Make broth:
• Rinse chicken inside and out, then stuff cavity with scallions, ham, and ginger. Bring water with chicken and salt to a boil in a deep 7- to 8-quart stockpot or pasta pot, then reduce heat and cook at a bare simmer, uncovered, skimming off froth occasionally, 3 hours. 3Remove and discard chicken, then pour broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Skim off fat. (You will have about 10 to 12 cups broth and need only 9 cups for this soup; reserve remainder for the Black-Bean Shrimp with Chinese Broccoli or for another use.)
• Make soup:
• Bring 2 cups broth to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then add dried scallops and remove from heat. Soak, covered, 15 minutes.
• Return scallop mixture to low heat and simmer, uncovered, until scallops are soft and pale, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool in cooking liquid. Transfer scallops with a slotted spoon to a bowl, reserving cooking liquid. Shred scallops into "threads" with a fork or your fingers, discarding tough ligament from side of each scallop if attached. Bring remaining 7 cups broth to a simmer in cleaned 7- to 8-quart pot with scallops and reserved cooking liquid.
• Cut off and discard rind from winter melon. Remove and discard seeds, then cut melon into 1/3-inch cubes (about 5 cups). Add to broth and gently simmer, uncovered, until melon is transparent, 20 to 30 minutes. 3Stir in ham, ginger, scallions, and salt to taste just before serving.

WINTER MELON SOUP

Steps:

• Bring the pork stock to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, add the chicken, and cook gently for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken, bone the meat, shred it, and discard the bones. Add the shredded meat to the pork stock, along with the ham, scallions, garlic, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and dried shrimp. Slice the Chinese mushrooms and add to the stock. Simmer for 1/2 hour. Add the winter melon, the tomato, the peas and the baby corn. Bring soup to a boil. Mix together the cornstarch with enough cold water to make a liquid resembling heavy cream. Pour enough into boiling soup, stirring, to thicken soup slightly. Reduce to simmer, and add the bean curd. Cook gently for 10 minutes. Swirl in sesame oil and serve immediately.;