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Taiwanese stuffed bitter melon with pork served on a plate, made with Okinawan goya and sprinkled with scallions.

Taiwanese Stuffed Bitter Melon with Pork

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main ingredients
  • 1 bitter melon / goya, about 230–280 g, cut into 6–8 thick rings
  • 300 g ground pork
  • 100 g firm tofu, pressed dry
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon potato starch, plus extra for dusting the bitter melon rings
Filling seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cooking sake or Taiwanese rice wine
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • A little white pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Braising sauce
  • 200 ml water or stock
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 1 tablespoon cooking sake
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar, optional

Method
 

Instructions
  1. Wash the bitter melon and cut it into rings about 3 cm thick. Scoop out the seeds and white pith. Rub with a little salt for 10 minutes, rinse, and pat dry.
  2. Put the ground pork, pressed tofu, egg, soy sauce, cooking sake, grated ginger, white pepper, salt, sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon potato starch in a bowl. Stir in one direction until the filling becomes sticky.
  3. Dust the inside of each bitter melon ring lightly with potato starch. Pack the filling into the center and press both sides flat so the meat touches the ring firmly.
  4. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sear both sides of the stuffed bitter melon for 1–2 minutes, just until the filling surface changes color.
  5. Add water or stock, soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, and sugar. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15–18 minutes.
  6. Open the lid, spoon the sauce over the pieces, and cook 2–3 more minutes. Make sure the center of the filling is fully cooked before serving.

Notes

  1. Scraping the white pith well makes the bitterness cleaner.
  2. Press the tofu dry; wet tofu makes the filling loose.
  3. If the pork smells strong, season it first with cooking sake, ginger, white pepper, and salt, then mix until sticky before adding tofu and egg.
  4. A very short ice-water soak with a little lemon can help strong-smelling pork, but press it dry well and do not rinse ground meat under running water.
  5. Dusting the inner ring with potato starch lowers the chance of the filling falling out.
  6. For a rice-cooker version, use 1 cup water in the outer pot and rest for 10 minutes after the switch pops.
  7. Ground chicken can replace pork, but keep the tofu or add 1 teaspoon sesame oil so it stays moist.