Skip to main content

Steamed Stuffed Bittergourd with Minced Pork ~ 酿苦瓜

If you are a fan of Bittergourd 苦瓜 like me, you will relish this dish. This is a nutritious, easy to cook Chinese dish which you can easily prepare at home using 'sections of bittergourd stuffed with seasoned minced pork. The gourd will be soft after steaming but it is still firm in texture and there's the juicy broth for you to go with rice.



Steamed Stuffed Bittergourd with Minced Pork  ~  酿苦瓜 
Ingredients
  • 160 gm minced pork
  • 40 gm shitake mushrooms, hydrated, stemmed and diced
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 medium size bittergourd
Seasoning for the minced pork
  • 2 tsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp light soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp cornflour
  • 1/4 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt
  • Dash of pepper
Method
  1. Cut the bittergourd into 3/4 inch sections.  Scoop out the seeds, place the bittergourds in a bowl rub with some salt and set aside for about 20 mins.  (This is to extract some bitterness from gourds.)
  2. Meanwhile season the minced pork with the above sauces, mix well to form a paste.
  3. Drain out the juice from the bittergourd, rinse and pat dry.
  4. Stuff the minced pork paste into the bittergourd, right up to the top.
  5. Arrange them on a steaming plate.
  6. Bring a steamer to a boil, steam the stuffed bittergourd for about 25 mins. depending on how soft you want the texture to be.
  7. Garnish with chopped spring onions and chillies.  Serve immediately.
  8. Yield :  6 pieces

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mini lime marmalade chiffon cake

These little chiffon cupcakes were made with lime marmalade.  Other than orange marmalade I've never come across lime marmalade and so this went into my shopping basket when I was in Perth last.  It's slightly more sour than orange marmalade but it's delicious when you have it with butter or peanut butter slathered on a slice of freshly baked bread or toast!

Kai Chai Paeng aka Little chicken biscuit

K ai Chai Paeng or 'Little chicken biscuit' was one of my father's favourite item to take away whenever we stopped by Bidor, a small town south of Ipoh on the way to Kuala Lumpur, long ago before the North-South Highway came into existence.  Those days, Bidor's famous restaurant, Pun Chun ,was like a half-way house whereby travellers would stop by for their signature 'Ngap thui meen' or duck thigh noodles. Pun Chun restaurant is right in the middle of town along the main road and has been in operation for 70 years and their Kai Chai Paeng were of the thick, doughy type made with lard and some pork but now they also have the thin and crispy version. Another small town, known as Kampar which is nearer to Ipoh is also famous for their thin and crispy version of  Kai Chai Paeng.  However,  I'm not too sure which town is the originator of these 'chickenless', unique but absolutely aromatic 'Little chicken biscuit'.

Snow Swallow Dessert ~ 天然野生雪燕

  Natural Wild Tragacanth Gum 'Snow Swallow' or Xue Yan is a gum derived from different varieties of sterculia trees.  It's actually a sap drained from the root of the plant and  the gum dries as it exudes and is then collected.  Once rehydrated will increase to about ten times in size and their white stringy, jelly like strands texture resembles that of the much prized and highly valued bird's nest.  One thing to take note when cooking this dessert is that the gum is highly soluble in water and cannot be boiled too long. Since it is 'cooling' for our internal organs, the elderlies should take this in moderation and not recommended for nursing mums for the breast milk may cause the baby to purge. Snow Swallow Dessert  ~   天然野生雪燕 Ingredients 8 gm Snow Swallow gums 10 gm red dates 10 gm goji berries 20 gm dried longan Rock or piece sugar to taste 1 litre water Pandan leaves (optional) Method Soak the Snow Swallow gums in plenty of water for at least...