Hi welcome to asiangarden2table.
Bitter melon is healthy and special.
Some people like it bitter some do not.
So how to tell the bitterness of bitter melon?
Generally speaking, heavily warted variety is more bitter than light shallow warted one.
Dark green is more bitter than light green, green is more bitter than white color; Bitter
melon gets less bitter when the fruit gets more matured.
Fully matured one turns yellow and almost lost all the bitterness.
Fresh bitter melon has great Umami and freshness over it bitterness
while a stale melon tastes more unpleasant bitterness.
When cooking with other vegetables or meat, bitter melon does not transfer its bitterness to others,
but add great umami and flavor into the food.
So it is also called “gentleman vegetable”
Today we will cook another popular dish sliced bitter melon stir-fried with beef.
We will use a sliced white bitter melon
~ 1.5 pounds thinly sliced beef.
We will still use our favorite sauce paste with ginger to cook this dish.
a handful red pepper,
broccoli cut into small pieces.
Set the stove at maximum heat.
Add one table spoon cooking oil.
Put broccoli and stir with the oil.
A small half tea spoon salt to taste.
Add in half cup of water and put cover on.
With high heat, broccoli is boiled and steamed at the same time.
It will be cooked evenly and maintain its green color well,
at the same time, take seasoning in well.
After 2~3 minutes, check if broccoli’s texture is proper.
If yes, stir and turn over to evaporate the extra water left.
Dish out.
Add in 1 table spoon oil, put in red pepper to sautee quickly.
Add in bitter melon.
A small half tea spoon salt to taste.
1/3 cup water.
Now stir and turn over quickly.
Water will generate heavy steam in hot wok.
Usually in restaurant, a lot of oil will be used to cook bitter melon.
For home-cooking, we can use water instead.
As far as we have our heat at high and quickly stir to release the vapor in time.
Our vegetable will be cooked perfectly and have great texture and color.
About 1 minute, when almost all the water’s gone, dish out and set aside.
Now we cook the beef.
At maximum heat, add 3~4 table spoon oil,
tilt the wok and fry sauce paste mixture gently.
About 15 seconds until aroma released,
move the wok off heat and add in beef
Now quickly stir and turn over at the same time break beef slices apart.
We did not use much oil when we cooked our vegetables so we use generous amount here
to fry the meat.
Extra oil will prevent meat stick to the wok, cook food fast and produce wok hei.
When all the slices are apart and lose the pink color.
Spread some salt to your taste.
Add in bitter melon and pepper.
Give them a quick mix.
And it is done.
Load bitter melon beef on top of broccoli.
In Chinese medicine, beef is considered hot and bitter melon is cool.
Bitter melon stir-fried with beef balances their nutrients,
at the same time together create a very delicious taste.
Broccoli has absorbed the juice from bitter melon and beef and become very flavorful.
Although my babies don’t like to eat bitter melon directly
but they love broccoli with the juice.
Yaya is the only child enjoy bitter melon.
After many times having the juice, she discovered bitter melon is really tasty and special.
This is all today.
Welcome to visit our website at asiangarden2table.com to purchase vegetable see and cast iron wok.
Thank you very much.
We will see you next time.