Bitter melon soup has cooling and anti-inflammatory effects and helps the body to detox and lower cholesterol. It also helps to relieve heat symptoms during the hot seasons. If you often stay up late or like to eat fried and spicy food, bitter melon soup is a suitable soup to drink.
Bitter melon pineapple soup may not sound very appetizing but I personally find this a very soothing and delicious soup.
Bitter Melon
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, bitter melon is known to have various therapeutic effects. Besides helping to reduce and relieve internal body heat, it also has the following health benefits:
- Reduces symptoms of diabetes
- Purifies blood
- Promotes good vision
- Lowers cholesterol
- Helps control and reduce the symptoms of diabetes (read more about bitter melon and diabetes here)
Related recipe: Steamed stuffed bitter melon
Thai honey pineapple
As bitter melon tastes bitter, I added some pineapple to balance the bitterness. I used Thai honey pineapple for this soup but you may use any type of pineapple that you like. Get the ready-cut ones so that it is easier to gauge the sweetness of the pineapple. I usually get the darker colored pineapple chunks as they are sweeter.
The first time I made this bitter melon soup with pineapple, I added the pineapple right at the beginning together with the rest of the ingredients. The soup was tasty but I didn’t like how the pineapple became tasteless and flat. So the second time round, I added the pineapple in the last 10 minutes of cooking and the soup turned out great! I could still taste the bitter melon but its bitterness was toned down by the sweetness of the pineapple. You can say it was a bittersweet soup. 🙂
Cook the chicken, soy beans and dried figs first before adding the bitter melon and pineapple in the last stages of cooking.
Soybean
Soybeans is neutral in nature and sweetens the soup naturally. I like adding them whenever I cook a yong tau foo soup and they are also suitable for this soup. Soybeans are highly nutritious and the nutrients can be easily absorbed. They are high in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Soybeans is not only beneficial for the body but for the skin too. It encourages collagen production and helps to keep the skin firm. Soy also has the ability to moisturize the skin and keeps it healthy. Note that if you have gout, leave out the soybeans for this recipe.
As bitter melon soup is rather ‘cooling’, it is not recommended for those with diarrhea, a weak constitution and pregnant women.
Let me know if you try this Chinese bitter melon soup recipe. Leave a comment and hashtag #souperdiaries on your social media. Thanks for reading and happy souping!
If you like fruity soups, try these recipes too:
Pear Soup with Pork Ribs
Apple Pork Ribs Soup
Green Papaya Fish Soup
- 450 g chicken (use thighs or drumstick) - skin removed
- 1 bitter melon (300 g)
- 60 g soya beans - soaked for 1 hour and discard soaking water
- 4 dried figs (optional) - *see note
- 250 g pineapple - cut into bite-sized slices
- 6 cups water
- Wash the bitter melon and cut into half lengthwise. Remove the white spongy part and seeds from the bitter gourd. Cut into slices and set aside.
- Blanch chicken in hot water for 3 minutes. Remove and add into a soup pot together with soya beans, dried figs and water. Bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 40 minutes.
- Add bitter gourd and simmer for 20 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, add the pineapple chunks.
- Serve immediately.
My parents love bitter melon. I personally avoid them due to their bitter taste. I have heard a lot of things about bitter melon being good for health. But I have never heard of cooking pineapple with bitter melon. It sure sounds delicious. I will definitely try it out. Thank you for the great recipe.
Hi Hong,
In the past, I didn’t like bitter melon too but over the years, I’ve grown to appreciate them more. They are delicious in soups, stir-fries, braised dishes and more. I hope you’ll enjoy this bitter melon pineapple soup. 🙂
Other ways that I like to cook bitter melon:
Braised Chicken with Bitter Gourd
Steamed Stuffed Bitter Melon
I normally avoid bitter melon as well, I’m simply not a fan of the super aggressive taste. Unfortunately for me my wife loves bitter melon as she grew up in northern China so we end up eating it quite often. This recipe was one she just tried and I have to say that it turned out delicious! Great post and thanks for sharing a recipe with bitter melon I truly enjoyed.
Wow Yvonne that’s awesome! I’ll be looking forward for some recipes. I cooked with bitter melon to but I have not try it with pineapple. I guess every body have their own way of making bitter melon soup.
Yes, there’re many ways of cooking a bitter melon soup. Other than pineapple, you can also add salted vegetable, corn or tomatoes, just to name a few. Thanks for dropping by, Kelyee!
Hi Yvonne,
This is an interesting recipe. I can’t say I’ve tried anything like it. Can you use any other protein with this recipe? Could shrimp be used instead? Thanks for sharing it with us and explaining the health benefits.
Hi Jackie,
You could also cook with pork ribs instead of chicken if preferred. If you want to use shrimps, add them when the soup is almost ready. Thanks for visiting!
Wow, what a great looking dish! I usually don’t pick up bitter melons because of the taste, but this recipe looks really yummy! A great idea for adding the honey pineapple to compensate some of the bitterness, and thank you for a tip on when we should add it.
I noticed there are not many seasonings on this soup, but still see colors in the soup. Is it from chicken? I do love the simple taste, but I wonder if I could utilize chicken broth instead of water? Is it too much? Also, Japanese dishes for bitter melons are normally cooked with soy sauce. What do you think adding soy sauce into this recipe?
Thank you for the great information!
Hi Kyoko,
The color of the soup is mainly due to the pineapple. You won’t require any kind of broth or seasoning for this recipe. It will change the taste of the soup. In fact, I didn’t even add any salt into this bitter melon soup as I find it flavorful already. Thanks for sharing with us that Japanese bitter melon dishes are normally cooked with soy sauce. 🙂
Vonnie, Thank you for your recipes. The bitter melon soup looks so good. It has been very hot here lately so I wrote down the recipe so I can get all the ingredients tomorrow and make the soup for supper. Thank you, too, for the information about the health benefits. I believe healing the body naturally is so much better than taking drugs that may create side effects. If I cannot find the bitter melon here, is there anything in the US that may be similar with similar benefits? DDee
Hi Dee,
I’m not sure where you are residing but I believe bitter melon should be available at Asian markets. For other soups that are similarly ‘cooling’, try these recipes. They are also great for the hot weather.
Old cucumber soup
Chinese watercress soup with pork ribs
Winter melon with barley soup