Bitter Melon Soup (Canh Khổ Qua)
1 good size bitter melon
100-200g pork mince
3 dried fungus soaked, finely chopped
1/2 onion minced
a handful of bean vermicelli soaked and cut finely
chicken stock
pepper
fish sauce
sesame oil
Cut melon into 4-5 pieces, use a small fruit knife and scoop the inside out.
Marinate pork mince with a sprinkle of sesame oil, pepper and fish sauce. Combine all, mince, dried fungus, vermicelli, onion.
Once stuffed, the melon can be dropped gently into the chicken soup.
When ready the mince stuffing should just poke out. If the stuffing falls out then the melon is over cooked.
Add fish sauce, sugar to taste.
Bitter melon is very popular in VN as although it is bitter it has a sweet after taste.
To reduce the bitterness, blanche the bitter melon first in a separate pot before stuffing them.
Canh Kho Qua.JPG