Beef Melons Soup

Too many dishes cooked with wine during this winter days? Take this great soup to cool down your body. Bitter gourd (bitter melon, 苦瓜) is a known nourishing food and excellent in medical virtue. It is antidotal, antipyretic tonic, appetizing, stomachic, antibilious and laxative. However, not many will bother to just have a bite try. Definitely a great challenge to children too. It tastes as its name -  bitter! Surprisingly, it seems no problem to my princess. She takes it both fried bitter gourd with egg or this bitter gourd soup. Make a try and the more you consume it, the better you like it.
 
Ingredients:
1 pound beef stew, in bite-size
1 small to medium size bitter gourd, cut into bite-size
1 small to medium size yellow squash, cut into bite-size
3 cups beef stock (or mixture with water),
3 cloves of garlic, smashed,
5 small dried scallops
1-2 Tbsp Gizi (Chinese herb: wolfberry),
salt and pepper (optional) to taste

 Directions:
1. Bring 1 cup of beef stock/water to boil,
2. Cook the beef stew, dried scallops and garlic in the boiling water, about 10-15 minutes,
3. Then, add 2 cups more water and both the bitter gourd and yellow squash into Step 2.
4. Bring the soup to boil, then turn into small flame, slow cook for about 30 minutes,
5. Add in the Gizi, cook another 5 minutes,
6. Flavor with salt and pepper, ready to serve