Stuffed Bitter Gourd Soup 酿苦瓜汤

I’m not fancy over the bitter gourd soup boiled with pork ribs. Instead, my favorite is stuffed bitter gourd soup. I learned this from my mom. The secret behind this dish is the fermented soy bean used to marinate the grounded pork. It neutralizes the bitter taste of the bitter gourd and it brings out the flavor of the bitter gourd soup. Yummy!

Stuffed Bitter Gourd Soup

Ingredients:
half bitter gourd, core removed 300gm
grounded pork
1 tbsp goji berries, soaked in water for 5 minutes and drained
salt or light soy sauce to taste
600ml water

Pork Marinades
1 1/2 tbsp fermented soy bean, mashed
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Steps:
1. Marinate the minced pork for 2 hours in the fridge.
2. Stuff the bitter gourd with marinated minced pork. Shape the left over minced pork into meat balls.
3. Bring water to a boil. Pour the water into the inner pot of slow cooker.
4. Add the stuffed bitter gourd and the meat balls. Boil the soup over high heat for 1 hours.
5. Turn the cooking mode to slow cook. Continue the cooking for another 2 hours.
6. Toss in goji berries. Add salt or light soy sauce to taste.
7. Serve hot with steamed rice.