Bitter Melon Soup
If you grew up in an Asian household, the sight of this soup may have sent you into an angry tizzy.
This was the soup that our loved ones made for us to prevent illness. It is an all encompassing ‘super soup’. The key ingredient, Chinese bitter melon also known as bitter gourd, is a kissing cousin to squash, pumpkin, and cucumber. The prickly green vegetable is chopped up and cooked in a rich bone broth made from either beef or pork bones. The broth cooks down with ginger, red dates, and barley. For such a simple dish, it has so many amazing benefits. Let’s break it down:
Bitter melon: Known to contain micronutrients that prevent disease; decrease cholesterol and blood sugar; may aid in weight loss; and potentially prevent cancer
Red dates: Contain anti-inflammatory properties; relieves gastrointestinal issues; and combats insomnia
Ginger: Studies have determined that ginger help relieve arthritis, cramps, sprains, sore throats, rheumatism, muscular aches, pains, vomiting, constipation, indigestion, hypertension, dementia, fever and infectious diseases
Bone broth: Packed with tons of collagen improves joints and mobility
Dried scallops: Known to nourish the yin energy. They supposedly treat symptoms such as dizziness, dry throat and thirst, and weak spleen and stomachs
Wheat berries: Dense source of fiber that helps with weight loss, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, managing LDL (bad) cholesterol, improving digestive health, and preventing diabetes
If you’re like me, there is nothing better than a bowl of hot soup first thing in the morning to start your day. It wakes me up more than coffee. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, drinking warm liquids helps kick-start the digestive system. Warm liquids supposedly aids blood flow. As your blood circulation increases, it helps detoxify your body and reduce painful contractions of muscles. So instead of drinking a protein smoothie first thing in the morning, try this instead!
Ingredients
3 lbs meat beef bones, washed in cold water
3 bitter melons, 18-24 oz
1/2 large daikon, 12 oz
6 red dates, also known as jujubes
3-inch piece ginger, thinly sliced
6 dried scallops*
1 cup wheat berries or barley
Kosher salt to taste
Small amount MSG (optional)
*If you do not have access to dried Chinese scallops, you can use three tablespoons of fish sauce. Just be sure to reduce the amount of salt you use over all to season the soup at the end. Dried scallops provide a deep umami flavor.
Special Equipment
Fine mesh skimmer
Stock pot
Serves 8 as a soup at breakfast or dinner
Directions
Slice the bitter melon down the middle. Using a spoon, scoop the seeds and white pitch from the inside. Slice into half moon pieces. Peel the daikon, slice in half and slice into half moon pieces as well.
Bring a stock pot of water to a boil. Add a handful of kosher salt and boil the beef bones for ten minutes. This is to remove the scum, which there will be a lot of, from the bones before you actually make your broth. Drain the water and rinse the bones in cold water thoroughly. Clean the pot and return the bones. Cover them in fresh water.
Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to a low simmer. At this point, you will want to add the ginger, dried scallops, red dates, and wheat berries. Cook everything uncovered in the bone broth for one hour. Use the skimmer to remove the remaining scum that floats to the top.
After an hour, do a final skimming. Remove the dates, dried scallop pieces, bones, and ginger. Add two cups of fresh water, daikon, and bitter melon. Cover and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes to cook the vegetables.
Season to taste with salt and a little bit of MSG before serving hot!