Taiwanese Pork Rib and Bitter Melon Soup (Ku Gua Pai Gu Tang)

About This Recipe

Taiwanese Pork Rib and Bitter Melon Soup is a real, traditional Taiwanese dish, known as Ku Gua Pai Gu Tang. A clear, restorative soup of pork ribs and bitter melon simmered with black beans, valued in Taiwan for its cooling, refreshing quality in hot weather.\n\nThis soup reflects Taiwanese and broader Chinese food-as-medicine traditions, where bitter melon is considered a cooling food especially suited to summer, often paired with fermented black beans to balance its sharp bitterness.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Taiwanese home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gpork ribs(cut into pieces)
• 2bitter melons(seeded and sliced)
• 2 tbspfermented black beans
• 1 piecefresh ginger(sliced)
• 1.5 Lwater
• 1 tspfine sea salt(to taste)
• 1 tbspShaoxing wine
• 1 tspwhite pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch the ribs

   Blanch the pork ribs in boiling water for 3 minutes to remove impurities, then drain and rinse.

2. 2

   Prep the bitter melon

   Slice the bitter melon and scrape out the seeds and pith with a spoon; slice into half-moons.

3. 3

   Build the broth

   Combine the blanched ribs, ginger, Shaoxing wine and water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes.

4. 4

   Add bitter melon

   Add the bitter melon and fermented black beans, continuing to simmer for another 20 minutes until the melon is tender but not mushy.

5. 5

   Season

   Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

6. 6

   Serve

   Ladle hot into bowls and serve as a light course alongside rice or other dishes.

Variations

• •

  Some households add a few dried scallops for extra umami depth.

• •

  A version with corn on the cob adds natural sweetness to offset the bitterness.

• •

  Adjust the amount of bitter melon to taste if you're new to its flavor — start with less and increase over time.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions