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!

