Grandma's recipe for Chinese winter melon soup, and mom's soy fried chicken - family favourites
Family dishes handed down through the generations are sometimes too good not to share
Text Susan Jung / Photography Jonathan Wong / Styling Nellie Ming Lee
I grew up eating delicious meals cooked by my parents and grandparents. When I left home to go to university, I missed their food, so I learned to cook many of their dishes myself.
Winter melon soup is something that my Ah Mah (paternal grandmother) made frequently. As she was cooking for about 20 people at a time, her presentation was a lot simpler than the way we've photographed it. She put all the ingredients, including the winter melon (rind removed and the flesh cut into large cubes) into a pot and simmered everything together. I learned this banquet style of winter melon soup from Kwok, a friend in New York. The ingredients are the same but it looks a lot nicer.
Winter melon, despite the name, isn't a winter squash. The waxy coating on the exterior is said (by those with vivid imaginations) to look like frost - hence the name. Another reason is that the squash is considered to have a cooling effect on the body.
Of course, this delicious soup can be served at any time of the year. It's essential, though, that you use good quality, home-made stock.