Stuffed Bittermelon Soup / Canh Khổ Qua

Let’s collectively unpack some of the childhood trauma together y’all! Like many Vietnamese kids, I absolutely hated this bittermelon soup; whenever my mom made it, I’d always pick out the meatballs, discard the bittermelon, and never touch the soup. As a kid, the bitter notes just weren’t a taste I was particularly fond of. However, as you get older and your palate develops, the bitterness grows on you just a little bit. Apparently, the older you are, the better it tastes!

What Does Khổ Qua Mean?

I actually called it mướp đắng growing up, which is the Southern Vietnamese word for it. In Northern Vietnam, it’s actually called kho qua. The name itself is pretty iconic, to be honest.

The literal translation is:
Kho = Hardships or difficulty
Qua = Passed or away

So, when you put it together, it means that the suffering that you’re put through will eventually pass.

Why is Stuffed Bittermelon Soup Eaten During the Lunar New Year?

This dish aligns with its name, often enjoyed during Tet to symbolize leaving behind the challenges of the past year and embracing a fresh start for the new year.

Make sure you check out the recipe of my favorite Lunar New Year recipes, too!

Stuffed Bitter Melon Soup / Canh Khổ Qua

4.7 from 16 votes

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• 2 large 2 bitter melons

• Filling:

• 1 lb 1 ground pork

• 1/4 cup 1/4 wood ear mushroom

• 1 oz 1 bean thread noodles

• 1 tbsp 1 fish sauce

• 1 tbsp 1 chicken bouillon

• 1 tsp 1 sugar

• Salt and pepper

• Broth

• 5 quart 5 water

• 1 tbsp 1 minced garlic

• 1/4 cup 1/4 dried shrimp

• 2 tbsp 2 fish sauce

• 1 tbsp 1 MSG

• 1 tbsp 1 sugar

• Salt and pepper

• 1 tbsp 1 oil

• Garnishes:

• Green onion

• Cilantro

• Black pepper

Directions

• Rehydrate wood ear mushrooms, bean thread noodles, and dried shrimp with warm water in separate bowls for 10 minutes. Then, using a pair of scissors, cut the mushroom and noodles into little pieces and set everything aside
• Wash bittermelon, then cut into 1.5-2-inch sections. Use a spoon to core out the inner tissue and seeds
• In a mixing bowl, combine ground pork with rehydrated mushrooms and noodles. Season with fish sauce, chicken bouillon, sugar, salt and pepper
• Stuff bittermelon with pork filling, making sure it’s well-packed. Form small meatballs with any remaining filling
• In a stock pot, sauté minced garlic til fragrant. Add rehydrated dried shrimp and sauté for another couple of minutes. Add water, bring up to a boil, and skim off the impurities
• Add stuffed bitter melon and pork meatballs, bring back up to a boil, skim off any additional impurities, and let simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until bitter melon is fork tender
• Season broth with fish sauce, sugar and MSG
• Ladle into a bowl and garnish with cilantro, green onion, and black pepper. Serve with rice

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