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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Soup dish is a characteristic feature in Vietnamese family meals. Today, let’s go to the kitchen to prepare the wild bitter melon shoot soup with shrimp in this unique twist. The broth has a slight bitterness from the wild bitter melon shoots, rich in sweetness from fresh shrimp, incredibly refreshing and also helps cool down.
Ingredients for Wild Bitter Melon Shoot Soup with Shrimp Serves 3
Wild bitter melon shoots 200 gr Small shrimp 150 gr Green onion A little Tapioca starch 1 teaspoon Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Black pepper A little Common spices A little (salt/ sugar/ seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose delicious wild bitter melon shoots
- Wild bitter melon shoots are the young tips and leaves of the wild bitter melon plant.
- You should choose fresh leaves, bright green in color, not wilted or bruised.
- Choose small-sized bitter melon leaves, as larger leaves are usually from cultivated bitter melons, which are less tasty than wild bitter melon leaves.
- You can find wild bitter melon shoots at wholesale markets, vegetable suppliers, or regional specialty food e-commerce sites with prices ranging from 50,000 – 100,000 VND/1kg (price updated in January 2021).
How to choose fresh shrimp
- Fresh shrimp have a slightly opaque white shell, white legs, and a characteristic fishy smell.
- Fresh shrimp usually have tails that are tightly closed, a slender shape, a slightly curved body, narrow belly grooves, and flexible shell joints without being disjointed, with the head and body tightly attached.
- Do not choose shrimp with tails that are splayed out because they have been injected with chemicals or water to make them plump.
- Do not buy shrimp with dark spots or inconsistent coloring.
- Do not purchase if you notice the legs have turned black or if the head, legs, and body are no longer tightly attached.
-800x450-7.jpg "How to cook delicious and unique bitter melon leaf soup with shrimp 2")
How to prepare Forest Bitter Gourd Soup with Shrimp
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Prepare the ingredients
To reduce the bitterness of the bitter gourd shoots, wash them thoroughly with diluted salt water and gently squeeze.
For the green onions, remove the roots, wash them clean, crush the tips, and chop finely to marinate with the shrimp. The green onion leaves should be chopped small and set aside for decoration.
To make the shrimp firmer and tastier, after cleaning the shrimp, keep the shells on and crush the shrimp, then chop them finely.
Next, add the chopped green onion tips to the shrimp, season with 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 teaspoon of crushed pepper, 1 teaspoon of tapioca flour, and mix well.
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Cooking the soup
Put 1.2 liters of water into a pot and bring to a boil. When the water boils, use a teaspoon to scoop each portion of shrimp into the pot.
Reduce the heat and season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and stir well.
After the water boils again, add all the bitter melon tops and turn off the heat immediately to reduce the bitterness of the bitter melon tops.
Serve the soup in a bowl and garnish with finely chopped green onions on top.
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Final product
So we have completed the bitter melon tops soup with shrimp. The broth has a slight bitterness from the bitter melon tops, complemented by the rich sweetness from the fresh shrimp.
For those not used to this soup, it may taste bitter at first, but once accustomed, it is truly “addictive” with its bitter flavor that has a sweet aftertaste, refreshing and extremely nutritious.
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If you’re tired of the usual soups, try changing things up for your family with this bitter melon shoot soup with shrimp. Wishing you success in showcasing your skills with this simple recipe!
*Source of recipe and images from the YouTube channel Delicious Dishes Every Day
