Stuffed Bitter Gourd With Preserved Black Bean Sauce

As I've mentioned in my earlier blog post, I am using the leftover meat mixture to cook another meat and vegetable dish for dinner.  Here I present to you all, my favorite Bitter Gourd dish...

Ingredients:
Meat mixture can be viewed here
1 medium bitter gourd
1/2 tbsp fermented salted black beans (rinsed, drained and set aside)
2 large cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tbsp light soya sauce
Dash of sugar
Salt (to taste)
3 - 4 tbsp water
Drizzle of corn flour mixture (for thickening)
Wolfberries/Kei Chi (one each for the stuffed bitter gourd)

Methods:

1. Wash bitter gourd, cut into rings and remove the core.  Place them on a plate and sprinkle some salt over and let sit for few minutes.  Wash off the salt, blanched in boiling water for about 2 minutes and dish onto a plate.
2. Stuff the bitter gourd rings with the meat mixture, gently press as the meat when cooked will shrink a little. Top with a kei chi.
3. Arrange the stuffed bitter gourd on a steaming plate and steam using medium-high heat until the meat is cooked and the bitter gourd is soft.  I prefer my bitter gourd to have a slight crunch, so I shorten the steaming time.
4. Dish the steamed bitter gourd onto a serving dish.
5. In a heated wok add in cooking oil, saute the minced garlic until fragrant, then add in the fermented salted black beans and continue to stir for a quick minute.  Add in water, shaoxing wine, light soya sauce, sugar and stir to mix.  Taste for correct seasoning, add dash of salt if needed.  Thicken with corn flour mixture, off the heat and pour sauce over the stuffed bitter gourd.
6. Ready to serve!

"Simple Yet Yummylicious!"