Stuffed Bitter Melon (Ampalaya)
Stuffed bitter melon filled with a seasoned pork hash mixture, steamed, and finished with Lee Kum Kee garlic black bean sauce over rice, a Local Hawaii recipe built from an old family memory and a community of readers.
Servings 1 bitter melon (2 servings)
Equipment
- Steamer basket or steaming rack
- Heatproof bowl or plate
Ingredients
Bitter Melon
- 1 bitter melon halved, seeded, and sliced into sections
- 1 salt for drawing out bitterness, amount to taste
- 1-2 tbsp Lee Kum Kee garlic black bean sauce
Pork Hash Filling
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 lb shrimp
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup water chestnuts finely chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions finely chopped
- 2 tbsp aloha shoyu
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Slice off the ends of the melon, and slice it into 1 inch secti andons, scrape out the seeds and pith. Sprinkle generously with salt, toss, and let sit for 20 to 60 minutes to draw out bitterness.
- Rinse the salt off thoroughly. Blanch the bitter melon in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then dunk immediately into cold water to stop cooking. Pat dry.
- Combine ground pork, shrimp, egg, water chestnuts, green onions, aloha shoyu, oyster sauce, salt, white pepper, and sesame oil in a bowl. Mix until well combined and slightly sticky.
- Pack the pork hash mixture into each piece of bitter melon, over-stuffing since the filling shrinks as it steams.
- Arrange the stuffed pieces in a heatproof bowl or plate. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of Lee Kum Kee garlic black bean sauce evenly over the top.
- Set into a steamer over boiling water and steam for 8 to 10 minutes, until the pork is fully cooked and the bitter melon is tender but still holds its shape.
- Remove from the steamer and let cool for about 5 minutes. Serve over hot rice, pouring the juices from the bowl over everything.
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes more pork hash filling than one bitter melon needs. Use the extra to make pork hash patties, crispy gau gee, lumpia, or gyoza.
- Stuffed bitter melon also keeps well and some say it mellows in bitterness after a day in the fridge.
- Store leftovers airtight for up to 3 days.
- In the video I modified the recipe by omitting the shrimp and egg due to my keiki's allergies. Instead of 1/2 lb ground pork, I used 1 lb.