As the summer season winding down, we prepare to say good bye to our vegetable garden pretty soon. But until then, we still have quite a bit of garden vegetables. We have had so many good dishes already. To send off this year’s hot and rainy summer, we will make a vegetable soup using bitter melons.
I remember when I was a young kid, we had very bitter bitter melon soup. Many people avoid eating bitter melon soup for the same reason. But the problem was not on the bitter melon, people just didn’t know how to cook it. You can’t just dump two pounds of bitter melons in the water and expect good soup. No wonder the soup is bitter. Balance is the key to a good tasty bitter melon soup. It is important to add other vegetables that have a sweet taste like carrots and onions. And don’t use too much bitter melons because you have a backyard garden. Unfortunately I have made that mistake before.
Summer Soup with Bitter Melon and Vegetable 苦瓜時菜湯
Print recipe:
Summer Soup with Bitter Melon and Vegetable 苦瓜時菜湯
Ingredients and Instructions
2 to 3 chicken thighs and breasts, skinless, cut into small pieces
1 bitter melon, 1 chayote squash, 4 regular carrots, cut into small chunks
2 Roma tomatoes, 2 small red potatoes, cut into small chunks
2 stalks celery, 3 cloves garlic, 1 large onion, chopped
1 small chunk ginger, about 2 tablespoons chopped
1 carton (32 oz) low sodium chicken broth
5 to 6 cups hot water needed for the soup
Lightly season chicken with salt and black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon Chinese wine and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, mix well. Brown the chicken in a frying pan until fragrant. Add 1 tablespoon chopped onion, stir, stir, dish up and put aside.
Add oil in a large pan or soup pot, wait until hot. Saute onion, celery, garlic and ginger, add a pinch of salt, cook until fragrant. Add bitter melon, chayote squash, potatoes and carrots, also add a little salt, black pepper, stir and cook a few minutes. Add chicken and tomatoes, mix together and cook 5 more minutes. Add chicken broth and hot water as needed for the soup. Bring to a boil, skim off extra fat and foams surfacing on top.
Cover the pot, leave a small gap. Cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes until vegetables soften and soup mellowed. Stir as needed.
This is a wonderful summer soup. Lots of seasonal vegetables, the bitter melon adds cool benefits in the soup. We make bitter melon soup often in the summer because we have plenty of bitter melons in our garden. It tastes good and it is good for you.
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