Stir-Fried Bitter Melon

• servings: 3 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 bitter melons, preferable yellow or whiter in color

For the ground pork mixture:

3 ounces ground pork

1 teaspoon rice wine

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh peeled ginger

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the sauce:

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons Chinese fermented black beans, smashed

3 dried red chilies, or to taste

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup water mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch

5 tablespoons oil, for stir-frying, divided

Directions

To prepare the bitter melon, halve lengthwise and scoop out and discard all the seeds. Cut the melon crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices and set aside.

For the ground pork mixture: In a small bowl, mix the ground pork with the rice wine, ginger, sugar, and salt. Set aside.

For the sauce: Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside.

Heat a wok over high heat. Add 3 tablespoons oil and heat until shimmering. Add the pork mixture and cook, tossing and stirring, until the pork is just cooked through. Scrape out onto a clean plate.

Return the wok to high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and heat until shimmering. Add the slices of bitter melon to the wok. Stir-fry over high heat until the melon is considerably softened but still a bit crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the sauce mixture and mix with the melon, then stir-fry 1 minute longer.

Turn off the heat and add the cornstarch slurry to the wok. Stir around rapidly to prevent the cornstarch from clumping. Add a few tablespoons more water to the wok if needed to thin out the sauce. Return the wok to low heat and simmer the mixture for 20 seconds. Add the pork mixture back to the wok, stirring to combine. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

• Calories: 401 kcal
• Total Fat: 30 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 27 mg
• Sodium: 1870 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 22 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Total Sugars: 9 g
• Protein: 12 g