Stuffed Bitter Gourd Soup (Canh Khổ Qua Nhồi Thịt)

Stuffed Bitter Gourd Soup Recipe (Canh Khổ Qua Nhồi Thịt)

In our country, there’s a belief that during New Year time, we need to eat food that has “good” name that would bring good luck for the whole year. So, we’re going to make Stuffed Bitter Gourd Soup, aka Stuffed Bitter Melon Soup (Canh Kho Qua Nhoi Thit). Khổ Qua can be translated to tough time has passed. Good luck or not, bitter gourd actually has a lot of vitamins and minerals, Wikipedia – bitter gourd. However, people in Vietnam say that pregnant women should not eat them.

For this easy to make recipe, you’ll only need one pot. The soup has a light bitter taste if you eat the gourd directly. Or you can have the soup and the meat inside without eating the gourd meat which is how our daughter ate this soup.

Check out our youtube channel for our other short cooking videos, https://www.youtube.com/NPFamilyRecipes.

You may also like to check out our other soup recipe, Luffa Soup with Shrimp Balls.

[youtube https://youtu.be/Sn8h8pFrWi0?rel=0 frameborder=0 allowfullscreen]

Stuffed Bitter Gourd Soup (Canh Khổ Qua Nhồi Thịt)

Recipe for Stuffed Bitter Gourd Soup (Canh Khổ Qua Nhồi Thịt) with pork. The soup is lightly bitter and the meat is tasty.

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

• 2 lb bitter gourd
• 3 green onions (minced white parts, chopped green parts)

For the fillings

• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb fish paste
• 1.5 oz glass noodles (or mung bean noodles)
• 0.35 oz black fungus (dried)
• 1 shallots (minced)
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp seasoning (mushroom seasoning)
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

For the soup

• 10 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp seasoning (mushroom seasoning)
• 2 tsp fish sauce

Instructions

 

• Cut off two ends of bitter gourds. Cut into 2-3 inches long. Use a small spoon to remove seeds.
  
• Soak mung bean noodles in cool water and dried black fungus in hot water for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Cut the noodle into 1 inch and black fungus into thin strips.
  
  
  
  
• In a mixing bowl, combine all the "Filling ingredients" and minced green onion's white part. Mix well. (The more you mix, the more chewy texture you get.)
  
• Stuff bitter gourd with the filling. Any left over filling, we round it into small balls. Set aside.
  
• Bring water to a boil on medium heat. Season with all the "Soup ingredients." Place in the stuffed bitter gourds and meat balls. Cover and cook for 25 minutes or until just tender.
  
• Ladle the soup into a bowl. Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro. Sprinkle with ground pepper. Served with white rice or alone. Enjoy!