Bitter Gourd Boiled With Pork Ribs (Ma-Ra Tom Ka-Dook Mou)
⏲ ~32 min total · prep 16 · cook 16 · 4 servings
Lunch⏱ 90 min total🔥 3.1g net carbs
By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Ingredients
- 2 lb meaty pork spareribs, chopped crosswise into 2-inch pieces
- 2 medium bitter melons (about 1 lb total)
- 6 cups water
- 8 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat of a knife
- 1 1/2 tsp white peppercorns, coarsely crushed
- 2 1/2 tsp fish sauce, plus more to taste
- 3/4 tsp fine salt
- 1 bunch cilantro, tender stems chopped and leaves reserved
Instructions
- Cover the rib pieces with cold water in a 5-quart pot, boil hard for 5 minutes, skim off the gray foam, then drain and rinse the ribs — this keeps the broth clear.
- Return the ribs to the pot with the 6 cups fresh water, the smashed garlic, and the crushed white pepper; simmer uncovered over medium-low for 60 minutes, until the meat loosens from the bone and the broth smells peppery.
- While the ribs simmer, halve the bitter melons lengthwise, scrape out the white pith and seeds with a spoon, and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks; toss with 1/2 tsp of the salt, sit 10 minutes, then rinse.
- Add the bitter melon to the pot and simmer 15-18 minutes, until the pieces turn translucent jade at the edges and a fork slides in with slight resistance.
- Season the broth with the fish sauce and remaining salt, tasting after each addition — it should read savory first, bitter second.
- Ladle into bowls with plenty of broth, shower with the chopped cilantro stems and reserved leaves, and offer extra fish sauce at the table.
Why this recipe works
- Blanch for a clear pot A hard 5-minute boil, a skim of the gray foam, and a rinse keep the broth clean instead of cloudy. It is the difference between a clear soup and a murky one.
- Salt tames the melon Ten minutes tossed with salt, then a rinse, pulls the sharpest edge off the bitter melon while keeping its character. Skipped, the whole pot trends harsh.
- One hour makes the ribs A 60-minute simmer in smashed garlic and crushed white pepper loosens the meat from the bone and loads the broth with pepper aroma. No browning, nothing to watch.
Tips for making this recipe well
Scrape the pith clean
A spoon digs the white pith and seeds out of each half. That white layer is the most bitter part of the melon, so be thorough.
Look for translucent jade
After 15 to 18 minutes the melon edges turn translucent and a fork meets slight resistance. Past that point it goes soft and slips apart in the broth.
Season in stages
Add the fish sauce, taste, then the salt, taste again. The broth should read savory first with the bitterness arriving second.
Use the cilantro stems
Chop the tender stems into the bowls with the leaves. They carry more flavor than people expect and nothing goes to waste.
Fish sauce at the table
Set the bottle out beside the salt. Bitter melon veterans always reach for another dash.
Serving suggestions
Ladle the soup with plenty of broth into deep bowls, melon chunks and rib pieces both, and shower each with the chopped cilantro stems and the reserved leaves. Set extra fish sauce on the table, because someone always wants another dash. A serving runs 3.1 g net carbs, and the 90 minutes is almost entirely unattended simmering. Rice suits anyone at the table who is not counting carbs; the pot itself stays keto.
Storage and meal prep
Refrigerate the soup, melon and all, for 3 to 4 days in a covered pot or containers. It tastes deeper on day two once the pepper and fish sauce have settled into the broth. Reheat to a full simmer before serving. Freezing holds for 2 to 3 months, though the melon softens past the translucent stage and turns yielding; the broth and ribs freeze without any loss.
Variations worth trying
- Chicken instead Bone-in chicken thighs simmer in the same pot and need less time, so start checking them after 40 minutes. The broth reads lighter but the same.
- More pepper Crush the white peppercorns finer or add another half teaspoon for a hotter broth. This soup carries pepper well.
- Extra garlic Push the cloves from 8 to 12 if the pot feeds a crowd. Smashed and simmered an hour, they go sweet and soft.
- Milder melon Salt the melon twice, rinsing between rounds, for a gentler bowl. Keep the rinse brief so the melon keeps some edge.
Frequently asked questions
How bitter is bitter melon, really?
With the pith scraped and a salt rinse, the finished soup reads savory first with a clean bitterness after. Skimp on those two steps and the bitterness takes over the pot.
Where do I find bitter melon?
Asian grocery stores carry it most reliably, usually beside the other gourds. Choose firm, unblemished melons that feel heavy for their size.
Can I skip the blanching step?
You can, but the broth turns gray and cloudy from the rib scum. The 5 minutes of boiling and rinsing is what keeps this soup clear.
Which ribs work best?
Meaty spareribs chopped crosswise into 2-inch pieces are the recipe's choice, bones included. The bones are the point; they build the broth.
How many net carbs?
One serving comes to 3.1 g net carbs. The bitter melon carries most of the count, with the ribs and broth adding almost nothing.
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