Steamed Stuffed Bitter Melon

Ingredients

130 gr pork
4 water chestnuts
2 gr ginger root
2 scallion
38 ml shaoxing wine
1 gr salt
2 gr sugar
16 ml soy sauce
1 egg
3 gr cornstarch
2 bitter melons
30 ml peanut oil
6 gr garlic
26 gr fermented black beans
1 gr cornstarch mixed with
5 ml chicken broth
16 ml sesame oil

Instructions

From Ken Hom's book, -Chinese Technique. 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 3 cm 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 3 cm 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. NOTE: Hom makes no mention of blanching although another bitter melon recipe in another book *does* say that it will cut the bitterness.