Clear Soup of Bitter Melon Stuffed with Pork and Glass Noodles
This delicious soup is made with the gourd that we call Ma Ra (มะระ) in Thai. Commonly known as Bitter Gourd, or Bitter Melon, it has a very bitter taste when raw, but after we stuff them with a delicious meat filling and slow cook them in a mild and soothing broth, the slight bitterness that remains only adds to the overall healthy and satisfied feeling most people have after eating it
Ingredients
Boiling Liquid
- 50 Oz Water
- 10 Oz Bitter melon
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
Filling
- 9 Oz Ground pork
- 8.8 Oz Glass noodles
- 1 Tbsp Soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp Seasoning sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 Tsp Sugar
Soup
- 43 Oz Water
- 1 Cube Pork Bouillon
- 1 Tbsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Soy sauce
- 0.1 Gram Cilantro Chopped
Instructions
- In the small bowl add 2 cups of warm water. Add glass noodles and soak for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside
- Blanching is an optional technique to reduce a bit of the bitterness. In a saucepan add 1500 ml of water. When water is boiling add the stuffed bitter melons, cook for about 15 minutes. Drain and let it cool.
- Mix the ground pork, soy sauce, seasoning sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and glass noodles together in a medium bowl. This is like making a meatloaf. The noodles will cook up inside the meat and help hold it all together.
- Stuff the bitter gourd pieces with pork filling. When the gourds are stuffed, tap them with your hands on both sides to secure the filling.
- Add the water and Pork bouillon bring to boil.
- When water is boiling add the stuffed bitter melons and cover reducing heat to low, cook for about 15 minutes or until the center of the pork is done, skim off scum, Season with some salt and soy sauce.
- Transfer to soup bowl and garnish with chopped green onion and cilantro. Serve with jasmine rice.
