Stuffed Bitter Melon

This stuffed bitter melon recipe in black bean sauce is a classic Cantonese dish that highlights a produce item in abundance right now in Chinese groceries and backyard gardens: bitter melon! 

While beef with bitter melon might be more well-known, this recipe might be tied with it for my favorite bitter melon dish!

The Process of Making Stuffed Bitter Melon

While this recipe may look a little complicated, it’s actually quite easy to make! I mix up the filling in the stand mixer, and then slice the bitter melon into rings. After scraping out the seeds, we blanch the bitter melon, then stuff them and pan-fry them. 

Make the black bean sauce, simmer the pan-fried bitter melon pieces in the sauce mixture to cook them through, and then thicken just before serving. 

Okay, so I can feel some of you through the screen being like, “that doesn’t sound that easy…” The recipe does take a few steps. But none of the steps are very complicated. And you’ll be rewarded at the end of the day with a really tasty restaurant-quality dish that very few restaurants actually make anymore. 

Honestly, I wasn’t sure how many of you out there would be willing to give this recipe a try, but I felt it was important to document it here on the blog, so that it doesn’t fade away as a thing of the past. 

Choosing Bitter Melon

I used a bitter melon from our garden and one that was store-bought. See if you can tell the difference! 

The fresher just-picked bitter garden melon is the smaller one on the bottom, and the store-bought one (still fresh, but slightly less so) is on top.

You can see a slight difference between the two. The fresher one is very firm, smooth, and shiny. This is what you want to look for at the store! 

When you bring your bitter melon home, use it within a few days. Store it in your fridge in a plastic bag.

You’ll also want a Chinese bitter melon for this recipe, rather than an Indian bitter melon, which is spikier in appearance. That said, if you can only find Indian bitter melon, you can use it in a pinch!

Stuffed Bitter Melon Recipe Instructions

If soaking shiitake mushrooms overnight, you can start in cold water. Place a small bowl or plate on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged. To soak them faster, start with hot water, and soak for 2 hours until reconstituted. Squeeze any excess moisture off the of the mushrooms, trim away the stems if they’re touch, and finely chop them. You should have about 1/3 cup. 

Add the mushrooms and ground pork to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a mixing bowl. Add the cornstarch, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper.

Turn the mixer on low speed for 3 minutes, or mix with a pair of chopsticks vigorously for 5 minutes, until the mixture starts to have a paste-like consistency. 

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon baking soda. Slice the bitter melon into rings about 3/4 inch thick.

Scoop out the centers of the bitter melon with a small spoon or paring knife.

I like to cut the middle out with the paring knife and then scrape the remaining pith with a spoon.

Blanch the bitter melon rings in the water for 1 minute, and then transfer to an ice bath. 

Add 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch to a shallow dish. Sprinkle a little cornstarch on the inside of each bitter melon ring, which will help the filling stick to the inside.

Use a butter knife to fill the bitter melon rings with the filling. Flatten the filling so it’s flush with the melon slice and the meat overlaps slightly with the outer ring of the bitter melon (this will keep the filling from falling out). 

Heat a wok or or cast iron pan over medium-high heat until lightly smoking. (Or heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.) Add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil. Add the bitter melon pieces, and fry until golden on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Remove from the pan and set aside. 

To the oil left in the wok, add the ginger, garlic, and fermented black beans.

Cook for 30 seconds, and then add the Shaoxing wine. Cook for another 30 seconds, and then add the stock, oyster sauce, sugar, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. Bring to a simmer.

Once simmering, add the bitter melon pieces back to the wok, cover, and simmer for 4-5 minutes to cook the meat through (cook for 5 minutes if you like your bitter melon more tender).

Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch into a slurry with 1 tablespoon water. Add the cornstarch slurry mixture to the simmering sauce to thicken it. Simmer until the sauce is glossy and coats the bitter melon pieces. 

Plate the bitter melon and pour the sauce over the top. Serve!