1. Ingredients for cooking bitter melon soup stuffed with meat

200g minced pork
4 bitter melon
Spices: seasoning powder, salt, MSG
Green onion, coriander

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Ingredients for cooking stuffed bitter melon soup (Photo: bachhoaxanh)

2. How to cook delicious, non-bitter stuffed bitter melon soup

Step 1: Prepare ingredients

Cut off both ends of the bitter melon, then make a vertical cut on the body and use a spoon to scrape out the insides, wash and drain.

Next, blanch the bitter melon in boiling water for 30 seconds, then remove and soak immediately in cold water to remove the bitter taste.

Wash the green onions. Finely chop the onion bulbs. Leave the leaves intact and blanch in boiling water until cooked.

Wash and cut coriander into pieces.

Step 2 : Marinate the meat

Marinate the ground pork with 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of pepper and the onion tops, then mix well and let the meat absorb the spices for about 10 minutes. If you do not cook it right away, you can put it in the refrigerator to let the meat absorb the spices.

Step 3 : Stuffing the meat

After the meat has absorbed the spices, stuff it. Press the two ends of the bitter melon tightly so that the meat does not fall out. Next, use the boiled green onion stalks to tie tightly to the bitter melon to secure it.

Step 4 : Cook bitter melon soup stuffed with meat

Boil about 1.5 liters of filtered water, wait for the water to boil, then add bitter melon and cook for about 10 minutes. Do not cover when cooking to avoid the bitter melon turning yellow.

Then add 1 teaspoon of MSG, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder and turn off the stove.

Step 5 : Finish

Scoop the stuffed bitter melon into a bowl and use scissors or a knife to cut into bite-sized pieces. Next, scoop the soup into the bowl.

Finally, add chopped green onions, coriander and sprinkle some pepper on top. The dish is complete.

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Bitter melon soup stuffed with meat (Photo: VTC News)

3. Notes when cooking bitter melon soup stuffed with meat

To cook delicious stuffed bitter melon soup, you need to know how to choose fresh ingredients.

With bitter melon, you should choose to buy fruits with small veins, the fresher and tastier they will be. You should buy bitter melons with shiny skin that feel heavy when held.

Avoid buying bitter melons with large, green bodies because they are highly likely to have been treated with pesticides.

You should choose very young bitter melon, because if you choose old fruit it will be bitter.

With pork, you should choose lean meat or meat with some fat so the dish will be more delicious.

Fresh pork will have a dry outer layer, the cut surface will shrink, and will not feel sticky to the touch. Fresh meat is pinkish red, soft, and the fat is opaque white.

You should choose meat that can still feel the elasticity when pressed with your hand and has a characteristic fresh meat smell when smelled. Avoid buying meat that is pale green, dark black or has red skin. If you see a piece of meat that is dark red or has an unusual color, you should not buy it because it may be pork raised with lean meat-producing substances.

To prepare bitter melon without bitterness, you can apply the following tips:

Scrape off the white part thoroughly because this is the part that makes the bitter melon the most bitter. After cutting the bitter melon in half, you should soak it in ice water until the ice melts, then take it out and continue processing to help reduce the bitterness.

If you don't have time, you can wash the bitter melon thoroughly under cold water 3-4 times to reduce the bitterness.

You can also blanch the bitter melon before cooking to prevent it from being bitter.

When cooking soup, do not add bitter melon when the water is not boiling yet. This will make the color of the bitter melon not attractive and bitter.

Avoid seasoning soup with fish sauce, instead use salt to prevent the soup from turning sour quickly and not being able to be preserved for long.

Do not cover the pot tightly right after cooking because it will make the soup sour and spoil easily.

Eat just enough soup and use it all up, avoid pouring leftover soup back into the pot.

With bitter melon soup cooked this way, the bitterness is guaranteed to be greatly reduced, leaving only a sweet taste that is very easy to eat so anyone can eat it.

Bitter melon soup with rich broth and delicious pork filling, soft bitter melon with moderate bitterness, served with white rice is irresistibly delicious.

What are you waiting for? Get in the kitchen and make this dish for your family to enjoy. Good luck!

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