Khổ Qua Hầm Giò Sống Instant Pot (Pork Paste Stuffed Bitter Melon Soup)
Author: Katie Le | Katie’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients
- About 1.5 lbs of bitter melon (washed well, cut in half or 3 pieces depending on how long the bitter melon is, removed/cleaned the core using a fork)
- 1 lb of pork paste (check the freezer section of you Asian stores, or check local Vietnamese Deli for fresh pork paste)
- 1/3 cup of dried, shredded Woodear mushroom/black fungus mushroom (soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, rinsed multiple times with tap water, coarsely chopped)
- 2 green onion (chopped)
- 1-2 fresh Thai chili pepper (OPTIONAL – to make broth spicy)
- 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper, extra to garnish
- 1 tbsp of sea salt
- about a tablespoon size of yellow rock sugar
- 2 tbsp of mushroom seasoning (more to taste)
- 6 cups of boiling water (use boiling water to speed up pressure building time)
Directions
- Combine pork paste, chopped Woodear mushrooms and black ground pepper. Mix well and stuff them into the bitter melon. Extra paste can be formed into multiple little balls. Set aside.
- Set Saute mode, heat to normal and add 6 cups of hot/boiling water. Season with 1 tbsp of sea salt and a tablespoon size of rock sugar. Once the broth comes to a boil, gently drop the pork paste balls and stuffed bitter melon pieces. OPTIONAL – Add 1-2 fresh Thai chili pepper to make the broth spicy. Close lid, be sure knob is on Sealing. Select: Pressure Cook/Manual, 7 minutes, High Pressure, QR.
- Once the cook time is up, gently move knob from Sealing to Venting to manually release all pressure inside the pot. One safety pin drops, open lid and give a quick stir. Add 2 tbsp of mushroom seasoning. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning as needed. To serve, pour out to a large bowl and add chopped onion and extra black pepper if needed. Serve with rice!
Finally got the nerve to try this bitter melon recipe. My mom is in another state right now so I guess it’s just me 😬 wow I followed your recipe exactly and it turned out amazing! Now I’ll be buying more bitter melons at the market! Thanks Katie!
I made this today for my parents. My mom used to make this before she got sick. I decided to make this for her since I knew she loves eating it. Even though she tasted the rock sugar and asked me not to include it the next time, she finished it, 🙂 My father and friend said it was delicious. I don’t like bitter melon and don’t eat it, but it tasted pretty darn good. Definitely making this again.