30-Minute Meal: Healthy Bitter Gourd Egg-Drop Soup ( 苦瓜蛋花汤 )

A popular ingredient in the South East Asian cuisine, I have talked about the many goodness of Bitter Gourd aka Bitter Melon in my past posts. The melon is extremely beneficial for the heart in many ways and it helps reduce the bad cholesterol levels as well.

Sadly, many do not take a liking to this melon due to its bitter taste. My teenage son is one example. In order to make him eat bitter gourd, I have tried different ways to disguise the bitterness, and one of the methods is to slice the melon very thinly and add to his favourite egg-drop soup.

This is a no-fuss 30-minute recipe that anyone can cook especially the busy executives who have no time to waste in the kitchen. In fact, it takes less than half an hour to prepare this Healthy Bitter Gourd Egg-Drop Soup ( 苦瓜蛋花汤 ).

Ordered my Bitter Gourd from #PurelyFresh, and I am using only one melon to make 3 dishes on different days. The egg-drop soup was using a leftover bitter gourd from another dish I had made. The Stuffed Bitter Gourd Boat with Minced Meat ( 肉碎苦瓜船 ) required only half the melon as there are only three of us in the family.

I also used some of the melon to make this delicious Bitter Melon Scrambled Eggs with Chinese Sausage ( 苦瓜腊肠炒蛋 ). That's pretty cool, right? One bitter melon to make 3 dishes? I will be sharing the other two recipes later, so let's just start with this simple soup first, shall we?

Ingredients:
¼ Bitter gourd
1.5 lit Chicken stock
1 Egg ( beaten )
1 tsp Sesame Oil
½ tsp Salt
Pepper to taste

Method:

• Rinse bitter gourd and remove skin. Use a spoon to scrap out the insides of the melon.

• Slice thinly. Soak in salt water for about 30 minutes to reduce the bitterness (optional).
• Add melon into boiling stock and simmer for about 15 minutes.

• Add seasoning and turn off fire. Add beaten egg and stir.

• Serve your Healthy Bitter Gourd Egg-Drop Soup ( 苦瓜蛋花汤 ) hot.

Are you a fan of bitter gourd too? What kind of cooking style is popular in your country?