Hin gyo
Light clear gourd soup
Hin gyo (ဟင်းချို): Myanmar's light, clear gourd soup that sits beside every curry meal
In Myanmar, no curry lunch or dinner, in Yangon or a village in the Shan hills, is complete without a bowl of hin gyo: a mild, clear 'sweet soup' sipped between mouthfuls of rich, oily curry to refresh the palate. This one uses bottle gourd, simmered with onion, garlic and plenty of black pepper. Homes often season it with dried shrimp or fish sauce; this vegetarian version gets its savoury depth from fried garlic and a little soy sauce instead. It is very light, with about 2 g of protein per bowl. The common mistake is overcooking the gourd until it collapses; take it off when it is translucent but still holds its shape. Chef's tip: crush the peppercorns coarsely just before adding them, because the pepper is the soul of this soup.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 4 cloves garlicthinly sliced
- 1 onionsmall, thinly sliced
- 5 cups water
- 1 ⅛ lb bottle gourdpeeled, seeded and cut into thin 4 cm slices (or courgette)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black peppercornscoarsely crushed
- 1 handful fresh corianderroughly chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp peanut oil in a pot over a medium heat and fry 4 cloves garlic for 1–2 minutes, until pale golden and fragrant. Add 1 onion and cook for 2 minutes until soft.
4 minStep 2: Pour in 5 cups water and bring to the boil.
4 minStep 3: Add 1 ⅛ lb bottle gourd, 1 tbsp tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) and 1 tsp salt and simmer for 5–7 minutes, until the gourd slices turn translucent but still hold their shape.
7 minStep 4: Stir in 1 tsp black peppercorns and taste: the broth should be clean, lightly salty and peppery.
Step 5: Turn off the heat, scatter over 1 handful fresh coriander and serve hot alongside curries and rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 55 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 7 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hin gyo take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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