Bitter melon braised with pork (苦瓜焖猪肉)

Bitter melon or bitter gourd (苦瓜) is an acquired taste and, as the name suggests, is bitter. However, once the harsh bitterness is removed, you are left with a delicious vegetable which can be cooked in a variety of ways. Whenever we prepare bitter melon, we never aim to get rid of its distinctive flavour, but to remove the acrid taste so that the pleasant bitterness remains (this pleasant bitterness is similar to that found in many other foods such as dark chocolate and tea). As children, we were never too keen on it, but have grown to love it. This dish is one of our favourite ways to cook it. The bitter melon is braised with pork on a low heat for a long time, so both become wonderfully tender and delicious with a steaming bowl of rice.

Bitter melon braised with pork (苦瓜焖猪肉)

The recipe
1. Marinate 500g chopped pork ribs with 2 cloves of crushed garlic, a heaped teaspoon of cornflour and a tablepoon and a half of light soya sauce.
2. Split the bitter melon in half lengthways and remove the seeds (a teaspoon can be used to quickly and easily remove them). Slice into 1.5cm pieces.
3. Place the bitter melon slices into a bowl and pour over a generous amount of salt. Mix well and leave aside. After 30 minutes, you should notice the juice from the bitter melon has been drawn out. Rinse it well in cold water so all the salt is removed and repeat the process 1-2 more times.
4. Once the salt as been removed, place the slices into boiling water and allow to boil for 15 minutes or until the bitter melon has softened slightly. Drain and set aside.
5. In a clean pan, fry the pork in some oil, mixing in a teaspoon of black bean sauce.
6. Once brown, pour enough water or stock to cover the meat and place a lid over the top, before lowering the heat and allowing the pork to simmer for around 25 minutes.
7. Add the prepared bitter melon in with the pork and simmer until both are tender.