Chilled hami melon soup
A member of the SCMP family
Directions
0
/0
swiper image

Chilled hami melon soup

30
mins
6 hours
to freeze the sorbet and chill the soup
4-8
people

Susan says

The hami melon is large and oval, with pale orange, sweet, perfumed flesh. If you like, substitute cantaloupe or honeydew for the hami melon. If you're feeling really indulgent, use a Japanese crown melon. Whichever melon you choose, make sure it's ripe, and therefore, sweet.

Start making the sorbet that accompanies it first because you need to allow time to make the syrup and let it and the lemon and lime juices chill before processing in the ice-cream machine. Once churned, it needs time to harden in the freezer. The fruit soup also needs at least a couple of hours to chill.

The makrut lime (also called kaffir lime) has leaves that come in pairs; you need two pairs for this recipe.

Ingredients
For the sorbet:
150g (¾ cup)
granulated sugar
150ml (⅔ cup)
water
zest of one lemon
2 pairs
makrut (kaffir) lime leaves (optional)
125ml (½ cup)
fresh lemon juice
125ml (½ cup)
fresh lime juice
a pinch
fine sea salt
20ml (4tsp)
vodka
For the soup
1kg (35oz)
ripe hami melon flesh, seeds removed
a pinch
fine sea salt
3tbsp
Grand Marnier or Cointreau
30ml (2tbsp)
fresh lime juice
For the garnish
fresh mint leaves
raspberries
Directions

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest (coloured skin only) of a lemon in wide strips. Place the zest in a small saucepan with the sugar, water and salt.

1/9

If using the makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, use a knife to remove the thick vein running down the middle of each leaf. Finely julienne the leaves and add them to the pan.

2/9

Place the pan over a medium-low flame, stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature, then strain through a sieve.

3/9

Mix 250ml (1 cup) of the syrup with the vodka and lemon and lime juices. Place the sorbet mix in the fridge to chill.

4/9

Process the sorbet mixture in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions. When the sorbet is ready, transfer it to a container and freeze for several hours.

5/9

Make the hami melon soup: chop the melon flesh into chunks and process in a blender or food processor. Blend in the salt, lime juice and Grand Marnier or Cointreau, then add some of the excess syrup (from the sorbet) to taste. Taste the mixture, and add a little more Grand Marnier or Cointreau, if desired.

6/9

Refrigerate the soup for several hours, or until very cold.

7/9

When it's time to serve dessert, ladle the soup into shallow bowls. Add a scoop of lemon-lime sorbet and garnish with mint leaves and raspberries.

8/9

Any leftover syrup should be stored in the fridge, and used to sweeten cold drinks.

9/9

Liking this recipe?
Now you can save the recipe you into your own collection.
Welcome to SCMP Cooking

We'll be showing you a whole range of Asian dishes for you to cook at home. We're starting small but are thinking (and planning) big - we'll be adding recipes to the site every week, and will expand to include international dishes, cooking videos, interviews with famous chefs and much more. Be sure to sign up to receive our weekly newsletter!