Stir Fry Beef & Bitter Melon 🇨🇳

 

Is there a food that you hated as a child but have come to love it as an adult?  I can name a few of mine, and bitter melon is one.  Pale green in colour with distinctive bumpy skin, it has an unabashedly bitter flavour that might not appeal to everyone, children in particular.  Call it an acquired taste if you like, bitter melons are used widely in Asian cuisines.  In this popular Chinese stir fry, the bitterness of the melon is tempered first by a salting and blanching process, then countered in perfect balance with the flavour of tender marinaded beef slices cooked in a pungent, fermented black bean sauce.  I use bitter melon and capsicum in this recipe.  If you are not keen on bitter melon, skip it and double the amount of capsicum instead.  And if you've had fun and success with some of my 'beginners' stir fry dishes, this is definitely the one to try for more advanced techniques and orchestration.  Serve with steamed rice.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 200g / 7oz porterhouse steak or sirloin steak
• 1 bitter melon
• 1 capsicum, any colour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• vegetable or peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon fermented black bean, rinsed in cold water and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxin wine
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• ¼ cup water or stock

Marinade for beef:

• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon sugar 

METHOD

1. Trim fat and sinew off the steak.  Slant your knife at about a 45° angle and slice the beef across the grain into 1cm / ¼" thick pieces.
2. Marinate the sliced beef in a bowl with 1 teaspoon cornflour, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce and ¼ teaspoon sugar for 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove seeds and membranes from capsicum.  Slice into chunks.  
4. Slice the bitter melon in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds and cut into 1cm / ¼" slices.  Place the bitter melon in a big bowl and sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt over it.  Toss with your hand to coat it well, then let sit for 10 minutes.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the salted melon and let it come back to a boil for 1 minute.  Drain with a colander and rinse the melon under cold tap water to stop further cooking.  Drain again and place the melon on a plate.
6. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok on high until very hot.  With your metal spatula, spread the oil around the bottom of the wok.  Add the beef.  Spread them out in a thin layer and let them fry, undisturbed, for about a minute until caramelised on one side, then flip them over.  Move them around to cook through.  Drizzle in the wine along the side of the wok and give it a final toss.  Remove to a plate.
7. Reduce heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of oil together with the black beans, ginger and garlic into the wok.  Stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Turn the heat back to high and add the capsicum, cooked melon, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar and ¼ cup stock or water, stirring as each ingredient is added.  Toss them all around for a few minutes until a sauce begins to form.
8. Transfer the beef back to the wok.  Keep stirring and tossing for another minute to heat through.  Serve hot with steamed rice.