Weekend Menu #46: The cooling gourd soup



It has been very hot in Kuching.  Too hot till what ever you dry under the sun, before the noon time comes, everything will dry out. 

 

We have been spending more and longer times in the pool, dipping in the water.  Even the kids already get used to going to the pool on weekend as they will automatically get ready in the swim wear and holding their floats, ready to go without us telling them twice. Lol!

 

So for today, I cooked some bittergourd soup for lunch.  Bittergourd has a cooling property and it is great to be taken on such hot day. Besides loving my bittergourds with stir-fry in salted eggs or black bean paste, I also enjoy them in soup. 

 

My stuffed bittergourd soup.

 

Ingredients:

1 bittergourd, sliced and emptied the middle part of the gourd
Minced pork
4 - 5 Chinese mushrooms, soaked and minced
2 tsp dried prawns, washed and rinsed
Salt to taste
1 - 2 tsp light soy sauce or to taste


Methods:

1. Mince the minced pork together with Chinese mushrooms and dried prawns.  Add some salt to the meat mixture and continue mincing.
2. Soak the sliced bittergourd in water, mixed with a pinch of salt for few minutes.  Rinse.
3. Stuffed the meat mixture into the middle part of the bitter gourd.
4. Heat up a pot of water.  Once the water is boiling, lower the heat and add in the stuffed bittergourd.
5. Add some salt and light soy sauce to taste.  Cook for 15 minutes.

Voila!  A nice bowl of cooling bittergourd soup!