Bitter Gourd and Tofu Soup

The colour of this soup looks beautiful, green, orange, white and maroon! And most importantly, it is simple to whip up. Here is some cool fact about Bitter Gourd or Bitter Melon:

Bitter gourds are very low in calories but dense with precious nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, and B3, C, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, and has high dietary fiber. It is rich in iron, contains twice the beta-carotene of broccoli, twice the calcium of spinach, and twice the potassium of a banana.
Bitter melon contains a unique phyto-constituent that has been confirmed to have a hypoglycemic effect called charantin. There is also another insulin-like compound known as polypeptide P which has been suggested as insulin replacement in some diabetic patients.
Source: http://www.juicing-for-health.com/bitter-gourd-benefits.html

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-4)
° 100g bitter gourd, sliced
° 1 (125g) firm tofu, cubed
° 25g carrot, sliced
° 6 seedless red dates (optional)
° 1 slice ginger
° 750ml water or vegetable stock
° salt and pepper, to taste
° granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste
° crispy ginger shreds (optional)

Method
1. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the bitter gourd slices and mix well. Let it stands for 10-15 minutes and rinse off the salt. Drain well and set aside.
2. Place the ginger, water/vegetable stock, red dates in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add in bitter gourd, tofu, carrot and bring to a boil for 2 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt, pepper and granulated mushroom bouillon.
4. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with crispy ginger shreds and serve immediately.