Sabaw na Kundol, Hamon at Sugpo / Winter Melon, Ham & Prawn Soup a la Marketman

On rainy, stormy days I look for soup. Not necessarilykundol1 soups that have taken hours and hours to develop really deep flavors but just a satisfying soup that can serve as a meal in itself. Here is a really easy recipe for a soup that I always find satisfying… kundol soup a la Marketman. Growing up I always noticed the special attention given to winter melon soups served in good Chinese restaurants around the world. I only recently realized that winter melon was in fact, the very readily available and highly affordable kundol. The light to dark green skin of a winter melon has a powdery film and the meat when sliced glistens. Kundol appears to be almost entirely made up of water but if you pay attention, it does have a pleasant and mild flavor. My soup has just a few ingredients and is wickedly easy to do.

First boil up a ham bone, a sliced onion and some kundol2peppercorns in some water for about 30-40 minutes until the broth is cloudy and nice flavored. Strain the broth to remove solids and return to pot. I buy ham bones from ham retailers who sell them for a steal – P50-60 pesos for the bones of a medium ham – throw them in the freezer so I always have a supply of them. If you don’t have ham bones, this works well with good chicken stock as well. Into the stock I add cubed kundol (peeled) and let that cook for a few minutes, add sliced ham bits (cheaper than sliced ham) and throw in whole large shrimp or small prawns and some salt and perhaps white pepper. As soon as the prawns are cooked (just 2-3 minutes), the soup is ready to serve. The kundol should have just turned translucent or somewhat opaque. If you want color, add some wansoy leaves. This is great on its own or with a bowl of steamed rice. If you put a lot of shrimp and ham it is a meal by itself.

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3 Responses

  1. Oh, perfect for a rainy day indeed! The kitchen must smell heavenly while you’re simmering. The wansoy leaves would also give the soup a nice finish.

  2. I got curious one day and bought those wintermelon but didn’t know how to make them. I enjoyed candied kundol, when I was a kid. Great site btw, reminds me of the comfort foods of bygone days.

    You take good pictures too, what camera are using?

  3. will you pls. post on how to make candied kundol… i will be very pleased if you guys can make it.. tnx

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