Bitter melon with beef

Ingredientsserves 4

Method

1. Halve the melon lengthways and scrape out the white pith and seeds thoroughly with a spoon, since most of the bitterness sits in the pith; slice 3 mm thick.
2. Toss the slices with a teaspoon of salt for ten minutes, squeeze out the water and rinse; or blanch thirty seconds in salted boiling water and drain. Both schools exist, and some families do neither, since bitter melon is meant to be bitter.
3. Slice the beef thinly across the grain and marinate ten minutes with the soy, half a teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of white pepper, a teaspoon of cornflour, a tablespoon of water and a teaspoon of oil.
4. Stir the oyster sauce, a teaspoon of sugar, half a teaspoon of cornflour and three tablespoons of water into a sauce.
5. Heat the wok hard with two tablespoons of oil, spread the beef out and sear it to half done, then lift it out.
6. In the remaining oil fry the garlic, ginger and black beans until fragrant, add the melon and chilli, toss one to two minutes on full heat, and splash in the wine.
7. Return the beef, pour in the sauce and toss until it coats the melon and meat; serve at once.

Take care

• Contains soy and wheat (soy sauce, black beans, oyster sauce); oyster sauce contains mollusc (oyster). The beef is deliberately cooked only just through, so use fresh beef and eat it the same day.

The story

涼瓜 is the polite table name for the bitter gourd, the word for bitter being kept off the table, and this is the summer dish of the Guangdong home, when the melon is in season and the family wants something clean with the rice. The black bean version is the older one, the beans and sugar set against the bitterness; the plain version belongs to families who like it sharp.

Same technique

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Lo Fo Tong is cultural food-heritage reference, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, unwell or on medication, talk to your doctor or registered practitioner before changing what is in the pot.