Hairy Melon Soup (Jit Guah Jung) (20 Mott Street Restaurant)

Ingredients

• 3 hairy melons, about 2 pounds each (see note)
• ¼ cup crabmeat
• ¼ cup chicken
• 2 Chinese black mushrooms, soaked 1/2-hour in hot water
• 1 teaspoon white Cloud Ear fungus (see note)
• 2 shrimp, medium-size, shelled, deveined, washed
• ⅛ cup bamboo shoots
• ⅛ cup silk squash, peeled, outer portion only (see note)
• 3 cups chicken broth

6 servings

Preparation

1. Cut melons in half and remove seeds. Use 3 1/2-inch ends only and discard centers. Scoop out melons, leaving the inner flesh intact. Wash, wrap in wash cloths and insert firmly into tempered glasses. Reserve.
2. Chop all ingredients into 1/4-inch pieces. (Save several small pieces of crabmeat to garnish the edges of the melon.) Mix together and divide into 6 equal portions. Place a portion inside each melon cavity. Add chicken broth to within 1/2 inch of top of melon.
3. Place melon halves in a steamer. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a wok and place steamer over water. Cover and steam for 1 1/2 hours over medium heat. Keep boiling water ready to replace water lost to evaporation.
4. When softened remove from steamer, garnish edges with crabmeat and serve immediately.

• Hairy melon, a fuzzy, zucchinilike squash, is available in Chinese groceries along with white Cloud Ear fungus and silk squash.

1 hour 45 minutes