CANH KHO QUA DON THIT - STUFFED BITTERMELON SOUP

Stuffed bittermelon was kind of a nightmare anytime it was presented at the dinner table when I was a kid. I hated it but there was no picky eating business. My mom did not entertain fussy eaters. Like clockwork, I would always pick out all the stuffing and left the empty shells of the bittermelon floating in the pot for my parents. My complaint every single time was why did my mom always have to ruin a perfectly good meal by adding the bittermelons?! If you told me then that I would love it the way I do now, I’d probably laugh and call you khung! That’s Vietnamese for crazy. I’m pretty sure our girls feel that way about me whenever I bring this to the table.

A few small notes: If you’re trying bittermelon for the first time, I recommend taking an extra step to blanch them for a few mins, rinse with cold water to temper the bitterness some. Feel free to add bones when cooking the stuffed bittermelons to add an extra oomph to the broth. If you’re using extra lean ground meat, consider adding an egg into the mixture to help bind all the ingredients together.

Ingredients

4-5 bittermelons, using a paring knife make a slit on one side from the top to end of the bittermelon then using a spoon to scoop the pulp and seeds out

1 lb ground pork (or ground turkey)

1 small onion, minced

50 g package mung bean vermicelli, hydrated and minced

1/2 cup woodear mushrooms, rehydrated and julliened

salt, sugar, freshly ground pepper, and fish sauce

cilantro to garnish

In a large pot over medium high heat, add 2 tsp fish sauce or salt and 1 tsp sugar to 8 cups of water.

Meanwhile add ground pork, minced onions, mung bean vermicelli, and wood ear mushroom to medium size bowl. Season the mixture with 1/2 tsp salt, a couple pinches of sugar, freshly ground pepper and 1 tsp fish sauce. Combine ingredients thoroughly.

Stuff bittermelon with meat filling. Turn excess mixture into meatballs if there is extra.

Carefully slide the stuffed bittermelons into pot. Add more water if needed so that bittermelon is completely submerged. Bring broth to a boil and skim any impurities on top. Lower heat and let it simmer until bittermelons are tender.

Transfer soup to large soup bowl and garnish with cilantro. Serve as part of family meal with jasmine rice.

Instant Pot Version:

In instant pot on sauté mode, add 2 tsp salt or fish sauce and 1 tsp sugar to 8 cups of water.

Stuff bittermelon with meat filling. Turn excess mixture into meatballs if there is extra.

Carefully slide the stuffed bittermelons into pot. Add more water if needed so that bittermelon is completely submerged. Bring broth to a boil and skim any impurities on top.

Switch to cook in soup mode. When the cycle is complete, allow for natural release if time permits. Take caution when doing manual release if you need to serve right away.