Steamed Stuffed Bitter Melon
Submitted by zipper
Steamed stuffed bitter melon with seasoned pork, water chestnuts, and ginger, finished with a garlicky fermented black bean sauce. A classic Cantonese home-style dish.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
20 minREADY
50 minBitter melon gets a bad rap, but steaming rings of it around a juicy pork filling mellows the edge and turns the vegetable into a sponge for savory sauce. The fermented black beans in the sauce are the soul of this dish, funky, salty, and deeply aromatic once they hit hot oil with minced garlic.
Water chestnuts in the stuffing are what keep every bite from going mushy. They stay snappy even after 20 minutes in the steamer, giving the pork filling real texture.
Don’t skip the egg in the stuffing either, it binds everything so the filling stays put inside each bitter melon ring instead of sliding out.
Chef Tips
- Salt the hollowed-out melon rings and rest them on a rack for 10 minutes to draw off some of the bitterness, then pat dry before stuffing.
- Mix the stuffing with your hands until it feels tacky and slightly springy, that’s how you know the proteins have bound and it won’t fall apart.
- Catch the steaming liquid that pools on the plate and whisk it into the sauce, it carries all the melon’s savory juices.
- The cornstarch slurry should go in last and simmer just until the sauce turns glossy. Overcooked cornstarch breaks and goes gluey.
Variations
- Swap pork for ground chicken or shrimp paste for a lighter filling.
- Stir a teaspoon of doubanjiang into the sauce for a spicier Sichuan spin.
- For a gluten-free version, use tamari in place of the soy sauce, which is already noted in the ingredient list.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the stuffing ingredients in a large bowl.
Mix them thoroughly.
The hands are the best tool for this job.
Cut the bitter melon into 1-inch slices; discard the end pieces.
With a paring knife, trim out the insides.
Lift them out. Stuff the cavity of each slice with a generous spoonful of stuffing. Arrange the stuffed pieces of vegetable on a plate and set the plate on a trivet in a wok over enough hot water to come within 1 inch of the plate. Cover the wok and steam the food for 20 minutes. Remove the platter and trivet. In a separate wok or pan, prepare the sauce. First heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil. Add the garlic and fermented black beans, stir for a minute, then add the Shaoxing wine, chicken stock and salt. Add the liquid that results from the steaming of the melon. Bring the mixture to a boil. Thicken with the dissolved cornstarch and flavor with sesame oil. Pour the sauce over the bitter melons and serve. Serves 2 as a main course.
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