Recipe courtesy of
Susan Vu
for
Food Network Kitchen
Recipe courtesy of
Susan Vu
for
Food Network Kitchen
Watch how to make this recipe.
Canh Khổ Qua (Bitter Melon Soup)
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- Level: Easy
- Total: 1 hr 35 min
- Active: 50 min
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 258
- Total Fat
- 17 g
- Saturated Fat
- 6 g
- Carbohydrates
- 12 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Protein
- 16 g
- Cholesterol
- 55 mg
- Sodium
- 1726 mg
While families have their own holiday staples for celebrating Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, the comforting pork and bitter melon soup known as canh khổ qua is particularly popular. Canh means soup, and with khổ qua translating roughly to “hardship has passed,” some believe that eating this dish will guard against difficulties in the New Year. The bitterness of this soup may be a little jolting to those unaccustomed to bitter melon, so I’ve added an optional step to blanch the pieces of melon before stuffing them. This helps lessen the bite but not completely rid it of bitterness — after all it’s part of what makes the soup so distinctive and delicious. In Southern and Central Vietnam, some believe that shrimp shouldn't be eaten on Tết since the animal moves backwards, which might slow advancement in the New Year. My family doesn't follow this tradition, so we include dried shrimp as a flavoring, but you’re welcome to omit the shrimp if you prefer and add a splash or two of fish sauce to the broth instead. You can find all of the ingredients needed for this recipe at Southeast Asian grocery stores.
- Level: Easy
- Total: 1 hr 35 min
- Active: 50 min
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 258
- Total Fat
- 17 g
- Saturated Fat
- 6 g
- Carbohydrates
- 12 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Protein
- 16 g
- Cholesterol
- 55 mg
- Sodium
- 1726 mg
Ingredients
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Directions
- Place the bean thread vermicelli on one side of a large bowl and the mushrooms on the other side. Cover both the vermicelli and the mushrooms with enough hot water so that everything is submerged. Set aside until both are hydrated and tender, about 10 minutes.
- Drain both the vermicelli and mushrooms very well (it’s okay if they get mixed together) then transfer them to a cutting board. Coarsely chop both into roughly 1/2-inch pieces and place them back in the bowl.
- Add the pork, shallots, fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon, 1 teaspoon of sugar and the white pepper to the bowl with the vermicelli. Knead the mixture with your hands until it’s very well combined, about 1 minute. Refrigerate the filling while you prepare the bitter melons.
- Trim the bitter melons to expose a small opening in each end. Cut each melon crosswise into 4 even pieces, each about 2 inches long; you should have 12 pieces total. Use a paring knife and/or small metal spoon to remove and discard the seeds and soft innards from the center of each melon piece.
- The next step is optional and will give you a less bitter broth, but you can skip it if you prefer the soup with more of a bite. Fill a short stockpot or Dutch oven halfway with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Fill a bowl with ice water and set aside. Add the melon pieces to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes; the melon won’t change much in appearance, but it should feel crisp-tender while remaining bright green. Remove the pieces with a slotted spoon or tongs and add them to the ice bath. Set aside to cool completely, about 5 minutes. If you blanched the melon, discard the water from the pot.
- To make the soup, fill the pot with 14 cups of fresh water. Add the dried shrimp and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the water just simmers. Stir in the remaining 5 tablespoons chicken bouillon and 2 teaspoons sugar and allow the broth to simmer, skimming off any foam that forms on the surface as it cooks, while you stuff the bitter melon.
- Remove the bitter melon pieces from the ice bath if you blanched them. Place the melon on a cutting board and pat dry inside and out with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. With a small spoon or your hands, fill the center of each melon piece with pork filling (3 to 4 tablespoons), pressing the filling firmly into the melon to compact it. Roll any leftover filling into 1-tablespoon meatballs.
- Add the stuffed bitter melon and meatballs to the simmering broth and cook, skimming off any foam from the surface and stirring occasionally, until the melon pieces are pale olive green, very tender and the filling is cooked through, 45 minutes to 55 minutes (see Cook’s Note). Stir the scallions and cilantro into the hot soup, ladle into bowls and serve.
Cook’s Note
I prefer the bitter melon cooked beyond just fork-tender, when the texture is almost creamy and can be cut with just a spoon. This typically takes at least 45 to 55 minutes. A good tell-tale sign is when a spoon inserted into a piece of melon cuts into it without any resistance.
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