Bitter Melon Soup

Bitter Melon with fish, for a liver detox.

Ingredients:

  •  fish fillets ( 1 lb)
  • fish bones and head ( for stork)
  • 3 to 4 fresh bitter melons
  • half pound of over ripe okra 
  • 1/2 ounce bitter melon
  • 1/2 ounce gentian root
  • 1/2 monk fruit
  • 6 jujube fresh or dried
  • 1/2 ounce galangal
  • 4 tbsp of chopped ginger
  • 1/4 ounce of orange peel
  • Artichoke hearts  1 head  or 1/2 ounces of dried  Artichoke leaves
  • one bunch of watercress ( high in minerals and Vitamins . Watercress is cholagogue, stimulating liver and gallbladder function and activity.
  • one small carrot
  • one turmeric big leave
  • 4 tbsp of coconut oil
  • 4 tbsp of cooking wine

Procedures:

Stock:

  1. in a stock pot, use 4 tbsp of coconut oil and heat with chopped ginger. Add fish bones and head and brown for five minutes and turn twice. 
  2. Add 2 quarts of water  and let it boil. Cover and turn to low heat from boiling.
  3. Let it cook for 3 hours and strain it to another pot.

Artichoke Extraction:

  1. in a 3-quart pot, fill it with water.  Let it boil. Add 1 head of Artichoke head to the boiling pot . 
  2. from boiling to simmer, let it cook for 3 hours for potent extraction. 
  3. strain and squeeze artichoke hearts and enjoy it with vinegar or hot sauce in a separate meal.
  4. if Artichoke head is not available, use artichoke leaves.

Bitter extraction Procedure:

  1. in an instant pot, combine fish stock and Artichoke Extraction. 
  2. Set temperature to Sauté.
  3. in the meantime, soak dried bitter melons, soak galangal, jujube, dried orange peel.
  4. Rinse gentian root. Cut monk fruit into half.
  5. When the stock is boiling, add dried bitter melons, old ripen okra, galangal, jujube, orange peel, turmeric leave, gentian root and monk fruit together 
  6. cover and set it to slow cook, Low heat to 12 hours or longer.
  7. Next day, strain it and store.

Reheat Extraction and Final touch:

  1. In an Instant pot,  set temperature to sauté High heat.
  2. when it is boiling, add fish fillets (previously marinated with ginger and wine)
  3. add cut fresh bitter melons,  sliced carrots and chopped watercress. 
  4. serve hot.