I love soup because it’s so convenient and left overs are always better. When I set out to make a Vietnamese soup, I wanted to make something that my husband has never tried before, something unique. This led me to the bitter melon soup.
What is canh khổ qua (bitter melon soup)?
Canh khổ qua (bitter melon soup) contains seasoned ground pork stuffed inside a bitter melon. The soup is then topped with chopped green onion, cilantro and fresh chili peppers. Canh in Vietnamese refers to any kind of soup. Khổ qua is a Vietnamese name for the bitter melon. So canh khổ qua translates to bitter melon soup.
Surprisingly, the words “khổ qua” has another meaning. “Khổ” means “miserable or misfortune”, and “qua” means “over or done”. So when the two words are put together, “khổ qua” translates to misfortune being done and over with.
To be honest, I was not a fan of bitter melon soup growing up. My mom used to make it quite often, and I would just eat the ground pork filling. However, now that I’m older, I’ve come to love the soup, and it doesn’t taste as bitter as I remembered.
More about the bitter melon (khổ qua)
Bitter melon is a fruit and part of the gourd, Cucurbitaceae family. This family includes not only bitter melon, but also squash, watermelon and cucumbers. Bitter melon has a unique flavor, is skinny and long with bumpy outer skin. It’s found throughout Asia, Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean.
There are two different types of bitter melons. One is the Chinese bitter melon and the other is the Indian bitter melon. The picture below is of the Chinese bitter melon. The Indian bitter melon has a darker green color, is more spiky with rough, irregularly shaped ridges on the outside.
There are two different names for bitter melon in Vietnam. One is khổ qua. The other is mướp đắng, which literally translates to bitter (đắng) squash (mướp). In my personal opinion, the name mướp đắng makes more sense for bitter melon than khổ qua, but then I don’t make all the rules so…🤣.
Benefits of bitter melons
According to healthline.com, bitter melons have many health benefits associated with it. For example, it’s rich in vitamins, contains folate and antioxidants. It’s also high in fiber and low in calories.
Where to buy bitter melons
Bitter melons are found at the Asian store. I’ve not seen bitter melons sold at the American grocery store. If you’re adventurous, you can grow your own bitter melons.
How to make canh khổ qua (bitter melon soup)?
To prepare the bitter melon, I make an incision big enough that allows me to remove the seeds from the bitter melon. Then I place the bitter melons in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes. This is to help alleviate the bitterness. After “blanching”, I placed them in an ice bath to maintain the bright green color and stop them from cooking further. Now they’re ready to be stuffed with pork and made into a soup.
What does bitter melon taste like?
As the name suggests, this soup has a slightly bitter taste. I’d say it is an acquired taste for those who’ve never tasted it before. My husband, describes bitter melon soup as “similar to that of eating a stuffed pepper texture-wise with a slight bitter after taste”. This is a win for me because this was his first time eating bitter melon soup. The key to removing most of the bitterness is to remove the seeds then boiling it for 15 minutes prior to stuffing and cooking it.
Serving bitter melon soup
I like to serve bitter melon soup with chopped green onion, cilantro and red hot chili peppers…and of course a side of Jasmine rice. I will also cut the stuffed bitter melons into 2 inch pieces. That way, it’s easier to get a piece since all the meals in Vietnam are served family style.
How to store bitter melon soup?
There is no special storage required for bitter melon soup. As always I store my left over soup in a container. Before putting the lid on, I place a piece of plastic wrap on top. This is to prevent the food from getting into the crevices of the lid, making cleaning the lid easier.
Canh Khổ Qua (Bitter Melon Soup)
Ingredients
Ingredients to season the ground pork:
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 fresh bitter melons with the seeds removed.
- 2 tsp ground roasted garlic
- 1½ tsp chopped fresh garlic
- ½ finely chopped white onion
Ingredients for the broth:
- 6 cups water
- 2 cans chicken broth
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp chicken powder
Instructions
Instructions to prepare the bitter melons:
- Place a pot filled ½ way with water along with 1/2 tsp salt and bring it to a boil. While you wait for the water to boil, go ahead and prepare the bitter melons.
- Wash the bitter melons and pat dry using paper towels.
- Take a small knife and make an incision into the bitter melon…big enough to remove the seeds using a spoon. Continue with this process until all the seeds have been removed from the bitter melons.
- After all the seeds are removed, the inside of the bitter melon should look like this so that it's ready to be boiled for 15 minutes.
- Into boiling water, place all the seedless bitter melons and set a timer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the bitter melons after the 15 minutes and immediately place them in an ice bath for 2 minutes then transfer to a plate while the ground pork gets seasoned.
Instructions for the ground pork seasoning:
- Place the ground pork in a large bowl along with salt, ground roasted garlic, chopped fresh garlic, and finely chopped white onion and mix well. At this time, you can cook a small patty of the seasoned ground pork to make sure the seasonings are to your liking. If not, adjust accordingly before stuffing the bitter melon.
- Using a spoon, place the seasoned ground pork inside the bitter melon. Continue this process until all the bitter melons are stuffed and set aside.
Instructions for the broth:
- In a large pot, add water, chicken broth, salt, fish sauce, pepper and chicken powder. Bring the pot to a boil then add in the stuffed bitter melons.
- Let the broth simmer until the bitter melons are soft & enjoy.
Don’t let the appearance and slight bitter taste deter you from giving this bitter melon soup a try. Who knows, you may end up enjoying it. For more soup recipes, click here.
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