Bitter Melon Pickled Mustard Soup Recipe

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While you may shy away from bitter melon, this soup has just a hint of bitterness that is well balanced with the sour pickled mustard. As the soup simmers, the bitterness gets less prominent and other flavors blend in.

Some people like to add pork intestine to add more flavor and texture to the soup. With the intestine, the required cooking/stewing time is pushed to 2 hours or more. Pork ribs cook faster, perfect for an hour window of cooking time.

The picture doesn’t do the soup justice at all. The aroma of the simmering pickled mustard and bitter melon soup is so mouthwatering. It tastes like a comfort food. It's good with a bowl of rice or serve as an accompaniment to spicy dishes.

6 Servings, Prep Time: 10 Minutes, Total Time: 45 Minutes

1 bitter melon
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 1/2 cups pickled mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup spare ribs
6 cups water
1 teaspoon ground white pepper

Tips and Techniques

Use the portions of bitter melons and pickled mustard as a guide. Vary the amounts as you like.

Use ground white pepper if you can. It gives a distinct heat.

Method

Add 6 cups of water and pork ribs to a pot. Let it boil then simmer. It’s important to keep the soup simmering, not boiling. The simmering will keep the broth clear. Keep the lid ajar so that the steam can escape, lessen the chance of boiling.

Prep the bitter melon by cutting it lengthwise. Remove the white pith and seeds and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cut the pickled mustard into 3/4 inch pieces. Add the bitter melon and pickled mustard into the simmering broth. Add salt, fish sauce and ground white pepper to the pot.

When the broth starts to boil, taste it. The broth tastes unbearably bitter and not tasty. As you simmer the soup take another spoonful, you’ll notice that the soup gets noticeably less bitter and the flavors are blended. At the end of 30 minutes, you get a broth that is sour and salty in balance. I can barely taste the bitterness at this point.

Desired Taste: First you should taste the salt in the soup, followed by the sour of the pickled mustard, finally bitter.