Vietnamese Bitter Melon Soup

I must confess... I did not make this dish, I simply devoured it. 

My lovely mother made this dish for me this weekend while I was in her neck of the woods. It's a dish that's been served in my mother's house for years, and I find myself craving it all the time. It's also a dish I only learned to appreciate as an adult. 

My first taste of this easy soup was very memorable. I remember sitting around the dinner table as a child and taking my first sip of this soup, and I found it utterly disgusting. The melon, although it's more like a squash, definitely lives up to its name. I know this may not sound enticing whatsoever, but the bitterness gives the broth an odd metallic flavor, a flavor that I just can't compare to anything else, other than well, metal. 

I'm not selling this dish very well, but put it simply, it's a classic Vietnamese dish with complex flavors that just isn't for everyone. But I do love it, I love the contrasting textures, bitter and almost sweet flavors, and aromatic smells from just one bowl of soup.  

Ingredients for 4

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 2 teaspoon fish sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1/2 cup bean thread noodles broken into roughly 2-inch pieces, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
• 1/4 cup wood ear mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes, drain and cut into thin strips
• 2 medium bitter melons, washed, cut into thirds and cored
• 4 stalks green onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 shallot, minced
• 6 cups of water

In a large bowl, combine the pork, fish sauce, sugar, onion, mushrooms, and noodles. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside in the refrigerator.

In a pot, add the shallot and water. Bring to a boil. 

Stuff the melon rounds with the pork stuffing. Form any remaining stuffing into meatballs. Add the stuffed rounds and meatball to the boiling water. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool a bit before serving with Jasmine rice. 

I also served the soup with salty, slow-cooked pork belly to off-balance the bitterness. Delish!