Canh Khổ Qua Chay (Vegan Stuffed Bitter Melon Soup)

Canh Kho Qua Chay (Vegan Stuffed Bitter Melon Soup)

30 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

45 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

• 1 portion of dried mung bean noodles (~10-15 g depending on your packages)
• 2-3 bitter melon gourds, cut into 2 inch pieces and deseeded
• 15 g of dried, black fungus mushroom (sliced)
• 225 g (~1 1/2 to 2 cups) vital wheat gluten
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 140 g firm tofu (pressed) (about 1/3 of a typical block)
• 2 tbsp white miso (low sodium)
• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 3/4 cup water
• 5 sprigs of green onion, finely diced
• 8 cups broth (I used 8 cups water + ¼ cup mushroom broth powder)
• ¼ tsp black pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. In separate bowls of warm water, soak mung bean noodles in one and dried black fungus in another until reconstituted (about 10-15 minutes). Drain and chop into small pieces (about ½ inch or 1-2 cm in length). It doesn’t need to be perfect.
2. Prepare bitter melon by washing, trimming the ends, and cutting into 2 inch rough pieces (about 4-5 pieces per bitter melon). Use a spoon or paring knife to de-seed and de-pith. Try to remove as much as the white part as possible. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine vital wheat gluten, onion powder, garlic powder, and white pepper and stir to combine. Add your chopped fungus, 4 sprigs worth of green onion (reserve 1 sprig for the soup), stir and set aside.
4. Blend the wet ingredients (pressed firm tofu, miso, grapeseed oil, tamari, and water) until smooth and no lumps remain. Pour into bowl of dry ingredients. Mix together until you get a rough dough (it might feel a little tacky, that’s okay).
5. Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and knead until elastic—it will end up being sort of lumpy looking but will stretch quite a bit before it tears when you pull at it. You shouldn’t need to add any extra vital wheat gluten, but if it’s just so incredibly tacky, the extra moisture from the mushrooms and noodles may require an extra 1 tbsp of gluten. If you have any extra bits of mushroom or noodle sticking out, that’s okay too. It’s not the most beautiful dish anyway, the gnarly bits are part of the charm.
6. Stuff the hollowed bitter melon with the seitan mixture, you’ll probably use about 2-3 tbsp per piece. Make sure to push out any air bubbles when stuffing it, and smooth the ends of the seitan to be flush with the end of the bitter melon.
7. While you’re doing that, heat up 8 cups of seasoned broth with the remaining green onion until it reaches a boil. Once boiling, add the stuffed bittermelon and cook at a medium simmer for about 10-15 minutes (until they start to float). Add pepper to taste and enjoy with rice!