Bitter Melon Tofu Soup

This is a simple to cook yet nutritious soup.  Many Chinese would have heard it from the elderly that bitter-melon soup is believed to help reduce the 'heaty' inside one's body (降火).  Heard from a friend (SY) that if added tofu in the bitter-melon soup would have some medication effect and would be more effective to reduce 'heaty'.  Regardless if it's true, at least the taste itself is well accepted by my two little lovers.

I always in a dilemma if to buy bitter-melon whenever i do my marketing.  Not only that i don't know much on how to cook it, but also on the challenge of getting the two little lovers to eat them in view of its bitter taste.  Now this soup recipe has helped to solve the concern.

This soup tasted surprisingly nice.  Well, you can still taste a bit of bitter, but not very much.  And by adding the tomatoes gave it some sour taste that just balance it out a bit.  My two litter lovers mixed it with their rice and kind of having a 'rice-soup' whenever i cooked this for them.   

If you do have little one at home and would like them to have some bitter-melon, this would be a good try.  :)

Ingredients:

• 1 bitter-melon
• 2-3 tomatoes
• 1 slice of Tofu (soft or medium firm)
• Pork meat/rib
• Water
• A pitch of salt (to add to taste)

Steps:

• Thoroughly wash/clean the pork meat/rib; bitter-melon, tomatoes
• Cut the bitter-melon into half, remove all the seeds and slice into pieces
• Cut tomatoes into slices
• Bring a pot of water to boil
• Put all ingredients in the pot
• Continue boil for 1-1.5hrs
• Add a pitch of salt last to add to taste