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Stir-Fried Bitter Melon with Fermented Black Beans — finished dish, ready to serve.

Stir-Fried Bitter Melon with Fermented Black Beans (Douchi)

豆豉炒苦瓜 · cantonese cuisine · Canton

23 min total3 min cooking3 stepssavorybitter

Thanks to the fermented black beans and white sugar, the finished dish is only faintly bitter, and salting the melon beforehand keeps it crisp and refreshing. The key is speed: once the melon hits the wok, add the seasonings fast and do not overcook it, or it turns soft and loses its appeal.

Priyanka Raman's profile photoPriyanka RamanSoftware engineer by day, South Indian cook by night. My pressure cooker is my personality now. Trying to nail my amma's rasam without shortcuts.

Nutrition & allergens

Contains:SoyWheat

Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.

Per serving (4 servings)

Energy (kcal)
Unknown
Protein (g)
Unknown
Fat (g)
0.3(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Carbs (g)
Unknown
Sodium (mg)
1663.5(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)

Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.

  • bitter melon苦瓜

    1.0 whole — sliced thin

  • Fermented black beans ingredient identification photo

    Fermented black beans豆豉

    0.06 cup

  • Fresh ginger ingredient identification photo

    ginger姜

    2.0 slice — finely diced

  • Garlic ingredient identification photo

    garlic大蒜

    2.0 clove — finely diced

  • scallion white ingredient

    scallion white葱白

    6.0 piece

  • Dried chiles ingredient identification photo

    Dried chiles干辣椒

    4.0 piece — snipped into short segments

  • Dark soy sauce ingredient identification photo

    dark soy sauce老抽

    0.21 oz

  • Granulated sugar ingredient identification photo

    sugar糖

    to taste

  • Fine salt ingredient identification photo

    salt盐

    0.63 oz

Techniques you'll use

Steps

  1. 1

    Step 116 min

    Stir-Fried Bitter Melon with Fermented Black Beans — step 1 visual checkpoint.

    Slice the bitter melon into thin slices. Add 1 spoon of salt and massage for half a minute, then set aside to rest for 15 minutes. Once it has released its water, rinse twice under clean water and drain well.

    ✅ Done when: The bitter melon slices have released visible moisture and been rinsed and drained.

  2. 2

    Step 2

    High heatAromatic blooming (bao xiang) ↗Stir-frying ↗
    Stir-Fried Bitter Melon with Fermented Black Beans — step 2 visual checkpoint.

    Heat oil in a wok. Add the ginger, garlic, scallion whites, and fermented black beans, then the chili segments, and stir-fry until the chilies change color. Immediately add the bitter melon, then add the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, white sugar, chicken bouillon powder, and a splash of boiling water, stirring rapidly.

    ✅ Done when: The chili segments have darkened in color and the seasonings are evenly coating the melon.

  3. 3

    Step 31 min

    High heatStir-frying ↗
    Stir-Fried Bitter Melon with Fermented Black Beans — step 3 visual checkpoint.

    After about a minute of stir-frying, plate the dish and serve.

    ✅ Done when: The bitter melon is still crisp after roughly one minute in the wok — remove it before it softens.