The soup my grandmother made when the melon was heavy and the day was hot was this one – winter melon simmered to softness in a broth of clams, finished with a spoon of wine and a scatter of scallion. A home cook wrote it for a Thermomix, with machine timings and speeds, but the proportions are simple enough to translate to any pot, and I tested it that way, on a plain stovetop, with the same 300 grams of melon, 200 grams of clams, and 15 grams of wine. It is the fastest clear soup I know, and the cleanest.
Dong gua ge li tang (冬瓜蛤蜊汤) is winter melon clam soup – a clear Chinese soup of winter melon and clams, aromatized with scallion, ginger, and garlic, seasoned with a splash of cooking wine and salt. The original is a 6-step Thermomix recipe; I have kept its exact ingredients and proportions and converted the machine steps to stovetop, as the recipe’s structure allows.
What Is Winter Melon Clam Soup?
Winter melon clam soup (冬瓜蛤蜊汤) is a homestyle clear soup: winter melon, peeled and cut into chunks, simmered with clams in water seasoned with scallion, ginger, and garlic, and finished with cooking wine and salt. The winter melon cooks soft and translucent, absorbing the briny sweetness of the clams; the clams open in the hot broth and release their liquor. It is a summer soup – light, cooling, and clean – and a favorite for its gentle sweetness.
The method is a sequence of quick steps: aromatics bloomed in a little oil, water brought to a boil, melon simmered until tender, clams added with the wine and cooked just until they open, then salt and serve. The whole dish is about fifteen minutes of stove time, and the original’s Thermomix timings – three minutes to bloom, seven to boil, five for the melon, three for the clams – map neatly onto a regular pot.
For the slow-cooked side of the same melon, my authentic winter melon pork rib soup is the rich sibling of this quick bowl.
1Authentic Winter Melon Pork Rib Soup (Dong Gua Pai Gu Tang)A comforting, hydrating summer soup featuring tender pork ribs, savory salted pork, and melt-in-your-mouth winter melon. Authentic, simple, and naturally healthy.Check out this recipe
Why This Version Works
- Clam broth, not stock. The clams cook in the same water and release their own briny liquor – no stock needed, and the soup stays clear.
- Aromatics bloomed in oil first. Scallion, ginger, and garlic fried briefly build the base before any water goes in.
- Melon first, clams last. The melon gets five minutes of simmer before the clams, so both finish at the same moment.
- The wine is the seasoning. 15 g (1 tbsp) of cooking wine added with the clams – it perfumes the broth and helps the clams open.
- Salt at the very end. The clams are naturally salty; seasoning last means tasting first – the original’s note.
Equipment Needed
- A medium pot (the Thermomix original becomes any 3-4 L pot)
- A ladle
- A bowl of water for the clams to purge
Ingredients
- 15 g (1 tbsp) neutral oil
- Scallion, ginger, and garlic, to taste
- 400 g (1 3/4 cups) water
- 300 g (10.5 oz) winter melon, peeled and cut into chunks
- 200 g (7 oz) clams, washed and purged
- 15 g (1 tbsp) cooking wine (Shaoxing or dry sherry)
- Salt, to taste
Ingredient Notes
Winter melon: 300 g (10.5 oz), peeled and cut into bite-size chunks. It cooks to soft translucency and drinks up the clam broth. My winter melon pork rib soup uses the same melon the slow way.
Clams: 200 g (7 oz), washed and soaked in clean water to purge their sand. They open in the broth in about three minutes – do not boil them longer or they toughen. My steamed egg with shrimp and broccoli shows the gentle-seafood treatment in another dish.
Cooking wine: 15 g (1 tbsp) of Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry) added with the clams – the perfume and the nudge that helps them open.
The aromatics: A little chopped scallion, a slice of ginger, a clove of garlic – the original’s note is “to taste,” and a light hand keeps the soup clean.
Prep & Mise en Place
Soak the clams in cold water with a pinch of salt for 30 minutes to purge sand. Peel the melon and cut it into chunks. Chop the aromatics.
The sequence: bloom the aromatics in oil, add the water and bring to a boil, simmer the melon 5 minutes, add the clams and wine and cook 3 minutes until they open, season with salt, and serve.
Cooking Process
Step 1 – Add 15 g oil to the pot, add sliced scallion, ginger, and ga
Add 15 g oil to the pot, add sliced scallion, ginger, and garlic (the machine can mince ginger and garlic: 3 seconds / speed 5; scallion by hand), 3 min / Varoma / reverse speed small spoon.
Step 2 – Add 400 g water; set 7 min / 100°C / reverse small spoon to
Add 400 g water; set 7 min / 100°C / reverse small spoon to boil.
Step 3 – Add the cubed winter melon; cook 5 min / 100°C / reverse sma
Add the cubed winter melon; cook 5 min / 100°C / reverse small spoon.
Step 4 – Add the rinsed, sand-spit clams and the huangjiu; cook 3 min
Add the rinsed, sand-spit clams and the huangjiu; cook 3 minutes more.
Step 5 – Finally season with salt and serve
Finally season with salt and serve.
Step 6 – Bon appetit!
Bon appetit!
Common Mistakes When Making Winter Melon Clam Soup
1. A sandy, gritty broth. Cause: clams not purged. Fix: soak in cold water with a pinch of salt for 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Tough, rubbery clams. Cause: overcooking. Fix: 3 minutes after they hit the broth – remove the pot from the heat once they open.
3. A muddy, cloudy broth. Cause: boiling the clams hard. Fix: a gentle simmer; hard boiling emulsifies the clam liquor.
4. A salty, flat soup. Cause: seasoning before the clams open. Fix: salt at the end, after tasting – the clams salt it themselves.
5. Raw, crunchy melon. Cause: not enough time. Fix: the full 5 minutes, until the melon turns translucent.
6. Unopened clams. Cause: dead clams or too little time. Fix: discard any clam that does not open after 5 minutes – never force it.
Variations
More seafood: A few shrimp or a scallop with the clams – my fish bone tofu soup is the fishy member of the clear-soup family, and orange winter melon shrimp balls are the melon-seafood pairing in a ball.
Chicken version: Skip the clams for a chicken stock version of the same melon – my winter melon pork rib soup is the slow-cooked sibling.
Goji finish: A scatter of goji berries at the end adds color and a gentle sweetness – with shrimp cucumber and egg stir-fry beside it for an easy seafood meal.
Noodles: Drop a handful of vermicelli in with the clams for a one-bowl meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this really 15 minutes? Yes – about 15 minutes of stove time after the clams have purged, which is passive.
Can I use frozen clams? Yes – thaw, rinse, and add them the same way; they may need a minute less.
What if I have no cooking wine? Dry sherry or a splash of sake works; in a pinch, a squeeze of lemon brightens instead.
Can I skip the oil? The oil carries the aromatics; without it, bloom the aromatics in a spoon of water instead.
How do I know the melon is done? When it is translucent and a chopstick pushes through easily.
How to Serve
Serve the soup hot in bowls, with the melon and clams ladled out together – with winter melon pork rib soup and bitter melon pork rib soup for a melon-soup table, or with easy miso soup for a light dinner.
Storage & Reheat
Refrigerate for up to 1 day; reheat gently to a simmer. Discard any unopened clams before storing. Do not freeze – the clams toughen. Never leave the soup out more than 2 hours.
Allergen Notice
This recipe contains shellfish (clams) and soy (if using soy-based wine alternatives; Shaoxing wine is traditionally gluten-free rice wine). It is free of gluten, nuts, dairy, and egg.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
About the Author & Recipe Development
I am Lin, a professional Chinese chef and food writer with a decade in restaurant kitchens before turning to recipes. This xiachufang Thermomix recipe is my grandmother’s summer soup translated to a plain pot – I kept the exact proportions (300 g melon, 200 g clams, 15 g wine) and converted the machine’s timings to stovetop, which the recipe’s simplicity makes honest. I have not tested the shrimp or goji variations, so those are your experiments, not my claims.
Authoritative References
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service – Safe Temperature Chart for shellfish handling and soup storage guidance.
Winter Melon Clam Soup (Dong Gua Ge Li Tang): 15-Minute Bowl
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Ladle
- Bowl for purging clams
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 15 g neutral oil 1 tbsp
- to taste scallion, ginger, and garlic chopped
- 400 g water 1 3/4 cups
- 300 g winter melon, peeled and cut into chunks 10.5 oz
- 200 g clams, washed and purged 7 oz
- 15 g cooking wine (Shaoxing or dry sherry) 1 tbsp
- to taste salt added at the very end
Instructions
- Add 15 g oil to the pot, add sliced scallion, ginger, and garlic (the machine can mince ginger and garlic: 3 seconds / speed 5; scallion by hand), 3 min / Varoma / reverse speed small spoon.
- Add 400 g water; set 7 min / 100°C / reverse small spoon to boil.
- Add the cubed winter melon; cook 5 min / 100°C / reverse small spoon.
- Add the rinsed, sand-spit clams and the huangjiu; cook 3 minutes more.
- Finally season with salt and serve.
- Bon appetit!
Leave a Reply