Savory and aromatic, this dish combines vegetables and meat with a rich fermented black bean flavor, sizzling on the hot iron plate.
Cantonese cuisine has long stood out among culinary traditions for its fresh, smooth, and savory flavors, as well as its commitment to highlighting the natural taste of ingredients. Stuffed dishes can be found everywhere, but Cantonese-style stuffed dishes truly shine—whether with tofu, eggplant, or crab shells, the fillings are then cooked using a variety of methods such as pan-frying, steaming, baking, or braising. Among these, pan-fried stuffed bitter melon is arguably the crown jewel, with ingredients and seasonings that harmonize perfectly. The southern variety of bitter melon has a very mild bitterness, offering more fragrance and crispness instead. Paired with a well-balanced pork filling of equal parts fat and lean, and finished with a homemade fermented black bean sauce, the dish delivers rich flavor, layered textures, and an irresistibly enticing color—one bite and you simply can't stop.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
300 g (about 10 oz) bitter melon
100 g (about 3.5 oz) ground pork
Lianggua (a thick-fleshed, mildly bitter gourd native to Guangdong) is used here; if unavailable, substitute with bitter melon. The meat filling should not be too lean.
Marinated filling seasonings
5 g (about 1 teaspoon) yellow rice wine
3 g light soy sauce
Egg wash, a small amount
minced ginger to taste
Other Seasonings
Fermented black bean sauce 15 g
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) Shaoxing wine
8 g light soy sauce
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) oyster sauce
3 g sugar
Dark soy sauce a few drops
Green onion, ginger, and garlic, each to taste
green and red bell peppers, cornstarch - a small amount of each
For the black bean sauce recipe, see "Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce."
Special tools
Iron plate
If you have a sizzling iron plate, preheat it in advance and set it aside; if you don't have one at home, you can simply serve the dish directly without it.
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Place the ground meat filling in a bowl, add the seasoning for the filling and mix well, then add a little cornstarch and stir until evenly combined (Image 2).
*For the meat filling, stir vigorously in one direction or slap it against the bowl a few times to make it firmer and springier, so it holds together during cooking and won't fall apart.
Step 2: Finely mince the ginger, garlic, and green and red bell peppers; chop the scallions and set aside (Image 3). Cut the bitter melon into 2 cm (about 3/4 inch) sections, remove the seeds and hollow out the centers, then set aside (Image 4).
*Bitter melon should not be sliced too thin, or it will look unappealing and lack a satisfying bite.
③ Spread a thin layer of dry starch on the inside of each bitter melon ring (Image 5), then stuff the marinated meat filling into the rings, smoothing both ends flat (Image 6).
*Coating the inner side of the bitter melon rings with a layer of starch helps the meat filling adhere better to the melon, preventing it from falling off during subsequent cooking.
Pan-fried Stuffed Bitter Melon
④Heat a wok over high heat, add a small amount of oil. When the oil is about 60% hot (just starting to shimmer), add the bitter melon (Image 7). Pan-fry over medium heat for about 2 minutes, then flip and fry for another 2 minutes until the surface is golden brown. Remove and set aside (Image 8).
*The wok should be thoroughly coated with oil beforehand to prevent the meat filling from sticking.
When the bitter melon first goes into the pan, do not move it; wait until the surface of the meat filling firms up slightly, then gently shake the pan to ensure even heating.
Bitter melon braised
⑤ Leave a small amount of oil in the pan, add the fermented black bean sauce and stir-fry briefly over medium heat, then add minced ginger, garlic, and diced green and red bell peppers, stir-frying until fragrant (Image 9). Next, pour in some hot water, add light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and Shaoxing wine, then add a few drops of dark soy sauce and bring to a boil (Image 10).
*The black bean sauce has already been cooked, so there's no need to stir-fry it for long; just sauté the minced ginger, garlic, and green and red bell peppers until fragrant.
*The water level doesn't need to be too high; just enough to reach about halfway up the bitter melon is fine.
⑥ Place the pan-fried bitter melon back in the pan and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes (Figure 11). Use a spatula to transfer the bitter melon to a preheated sizzling iron plate. Thicken the remaining sauce in the pan with a light cornstarch slurry, pour it over the bitter melon, and sprinkle with a little chopped scallion before serving.
*When braising, be very careful when flipping the bitter melon—gently turn it over to avoid dislodging the filling.
*The final cornstarch slurry should not be too thick; it needs to be pourable.