Minh-ai's Bitter Melon Soup
"A Vietnamese-style pork and bitter melon recipe my friend Minh-ai N. taught me to make. It's a homey dish popular in Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine. Its unusual bitter flavor is on par with strong, unsweetened tea. Serve immediately or refrigerate soup for 24 hours. The soup's bitter flavor will mellow with a day's refrigeration. Serve hot, ladled over bowls of steamed white rice. "
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 5 of 7 ingredients — the other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 5 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Melon | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bitter melon
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce, or to taste
- 1 green onions, sliced