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Canh khổ qua nhồi thịt (stuffed bitter melon soup)
Canh khổ qua nhồi thịt: bitter melon filled with pork, wood ear and vermicelli, simmered in clear broth
Southern families serve this soup on the first days of Tết because khổ qua sounds like 'the hardship has passed'. Short lengths of bitter melon are hollowed out, packed with seasoned minced pork, wood ear mushroom and mung bean vermicelli, and simmered until the green skins turn soft and the pork is juicy. The broth is clear and gently bitter, a welcome counterpoint to sweet braised dishes. A vegetarian stuffing of crumbled tofu and mushrooms works the same way. Chef's tip: scrape out all the white pith along with the seeds and blanch the melon briefly; leaving the pith in is what makes the soup aggressively bitter.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the stuffing
- 10 ½ oz minced porknot too lean
- ⅛ oz dried wood ear mushroomssoaked 20 minutes, finely chopped
- ⅔ oz mung bean vermicellisoaked 10 minutes, cut into 2 cm lengths
- 1 shallotminced
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
For the soup
- 3 bitter melonsabout 600 g, cut into 4 cm lengths
- 1.5 litres light pork or chicken stockor water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fish saucefor the broth
- 2 spring onionssliced
- 1 handful coriander leaves
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What you'll need
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Push the seeds and all the white pith out of each length of 3 bitter melons with a teaspoon handle, leaving clean green tubes.
8 minStep 2: Blanch the tubes in boiling salted water with 1 tsp salt for 2 minutes until bright green, then plunge into cold water and drain.
3 minStep 3: Mix 10 ½ oz minced pork, ⅛ oz dried wood ear mushrooms, ⅔ oz mung bean vermicelli, 1 shallot, 1 tbsp fish sauce, ½ tsp sugar and ½ tsp ground black pepper with your hand for 1 minute, until the mixture turns sticky and holds together.
2 minStep 4: Pack the filling firmly into each tube, pressing it in from both ends and smoothing the surfaces. Roll any leftover filling into small balls.
10 minStep 5: Bring 1.5 litres light pork or chicken stock to the boil, then lower to a gentle simmer and slide in the stuffed melon and any meatballs.
5 minStep 6: Simmer for 25 minutes, skimming off any foam, until the melon is soft enough to cut with a spoon and the filling is firm, with no pink in the centre and 160°F on a thermometer.
25 minStep 7: Season the broth with 1 tbsp fish sauce, scatter over 2 spring onions and 1 handful coriander leaves, and serve with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does canh khổ qua nhồi thịt (stuffed bitter melon soup) take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 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 gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of dried wood ear mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of shallot?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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