Bitter Gourd Soup 苦瓜排骨汤

May 2012, I am at Oregon, US now. Not come for travel, not come for work but I follow hubby for his 8 months relocation plan. Anyway, I just come for ~6months =)

Bitter guard soup is my first soup in my life. Kekek…I seldom cook at my home but here everyday I need to cook for a simple meal as consider quite expensive for us if everyday eat outside. I have no proper recipe on how to cook on the bitter guard soup..heheh…I just estimate the ingredients and follow my mummy’s step to have this soup =)

This is the dish that so far taste the best as my hubby always said my dishes only nice to see but taste no good L …yeah…finally….

Ingredients Used

- 1 bowl pork ribs (猪排骨)

- 1 bitter gourd (苦瓜一条)

- some carrots (红萝卜少许)

- 15 pitted red dates （红枣）

- some dried longan (actually the proper you can put honey dates) (龙眼肉)

- 1 tbsp wolfberries, soaked in water till puffy （杞子）

- sea salt (盐)

Steps

1. Wash and blanch pork ribs into boiling water for few minutes. This is to remove the scum so that it won’t make the soup too oily later.

2. Cut the bitter gourd into large chunks.

3. In a medium soup pot, add water and wait about half boil then add pork ribs, bitter gourd, red dates and carrots.

4. When the water comes to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about 50 minutes.

5. 5 minutes before you turn off the flame, I only add the soaked wolf-berries and season with salt.

6. Bitter guard soup is ready.

Bitter gourd tips:

1.    Heard hubby mention that If wish to reduce the bitterness of the bitter gourd, you can rub some salt on the bitter gourd and rise off the salt with water before cooking. I did it too but when I taste the soup after simmering about 20 minutes, I still feel too bitter then I put 2 or 3 more of dried longan. 

All the ingredients, all the portion I just estimate

Add water into a pot and bring to half boil, add all the ingredients

After simmering for about 50 minutes, seasoning with salt

       Bitter gourd soup will help to improves acne problem. 

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