Okay, I am not under any illusions about this beef with bitter melon stir-fry. Bitter melon recipes aren’t for everyone, and the name alone is enough to have some people running in the opposite direction! But some people love it (I am one of those people), and for good reason. Let me see if I can convince you to give this delicious combo of bitter melon, beef, and salty black bean sauce a try.
To some Chinese people, eating “bitter gourd,” (more commonly known as bitter melon) during the summertime is a must, because the Chinese believe that bitter melon is “cooling,” helping to cool your body in the midst of the summer heat. A lot of families eat bitter melon weekly for this reason. While most people don’t like this dish solely because they’re afraid of the bitter flavor, I promise…if you follow my beef with bitter melon recipe and method of preparation, you can minimize the bitterness.
Plus, according to WebMD, its fruit and seeds are used to make medicine! I knew bitter melon was very good for you, but I didn’t know it also contains a chemical that helps reduce blood sugar levels. As far as we’re concerned, bitter melon is right up there with the acai berries and goji berries of the world. Try it!
You’ll need:
- 1 pound beef, sliced against the grain (flank steak works well)
- 2 medium bitter melons
- salt
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons oil, divided
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 tablespoons shaoxing wine
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 tablespoons water or chicken stock (optional)
To marinate the beef:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
Start by mixing the sliced beef with the marinade ingredients (cornstarch, baking soda, oyster sauce, shaoxing wine, and light soy sauce). Marinate the beef for 20 minutes.
To prepare the bitter melon:
- Cut each melon in half lengthwise, and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Scrape all the white parts clean, because the white parts cause the bitterness. Then slice the melon on a 45-degree angle into thin slices.
- Prepare an ice bath and set aside.
- Boil a pot of water, and stir in 1 tablespoon each of salt and baking soda. Blanch the bitter melon for 1 minute, and use a slotted spoon to immediately transfer the bitter melon to the ice bath. Drain and set aside.
Preheat the wok over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and sear the beef for about 45 seconds. Remove from the wok and set aside.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok over medium heat. Cook the garlic and black beans for a minute. Turn up the heat to high (this gives the dish that necessary wok-hay flavor), and add the bitter melon, stir frying quickly. Now add the shaoxing wine, sugar, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Stir and mix everything well.
Now add the beef and chicken stock (if you like more sauce), stir-frying and salting to taste.
At this point, I usually like to cover the wok and let the dish cook for one more minute. Cooking the bitter melon until it’s tender doesn’t make this the prettiest dish in your arsenal, but it definitely makes the dish tastier and the bitter melon less bitter. Serve your beef with bitter melon on top of steamed rice for a one plate meal on a weeknight!
For more beef stir-fry goodness, try our thai basil beef and our beef and pepper stir-fry!
- 1 pound beef, sliced against the grain (flank steak works well)
- 2 medium bitter melons
- salt
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons oil, divided
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1½ tablespoons shaoxing wine
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 tablespoons water or chicken stock (optional)
- 1½ teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- Start by mixing the sliced beef with the marinade ingredients (cornstarch, baking soda, oyster sauce, shaoxing wine, and light soy sauce). Marinate the beef for 20 minutes.
- To prepare the bitter melon, cut each melon in half lengthwise, and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Scrape all the white parts clean, because the white parts cause the bitterness. Then slice the melon on a 45-degree angle into thin slices.
- Prepare an ice bath and set aside. Boil a pot of water, and stir in 1 tablespoon each of salt and baking soda. Blanch the bitter melon for 1 minute, and use a slotted spoon to immediately transfer the bitter melon to the ice bath. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat the wok over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and sear the beef for about 45 seconds. Remove from the wok and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok over medium heat. Cook the garlic and black beans for a minute. Turn up the heat to high (this gives the dish that necessary wok-hay flavor), and add the bitter melon, stir frying quickly. Now add the shaoxing wine, sugar, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Stir and mix everything well.
- Now add the beef and chicken stock (if you like more sauce), stir-frying and salting to taste. At this point, I usually like to cover the wok and let the dish cook for one more minute. Cooking the bitter melon until it’s tender doesn’t make this the prettiest dish in your arsenal, but it definitely makes the dish tastier and the bitter melon less bitter!
Virginia says
Followed this recipe exactly and the dish turned out really good! We finished the entire dish that evening, no leftover! I always wanted to learn how to cook this dish, and your recipe is clear and simple to follow. Will surely make this again.
Judy says
Awesome. My favorite summer dish.
Linda says
There are so many types of bitter melon. I’m always on the lookout for a particular type of bitter melon – ball shaped as opposed to the traditional cylinder shape. Just something about that ball shaped bitter melon – can’t quite describe it in English. My mom taught me to look for wider ridged bitter melons as those tend to be less bitter. The narrow ridged melons are definitely more bitter. There is one variety that I see at my farmer’s market – small and dark green with lots of narrow ridges – and the farmers say it is very bitter. I have not tried it. I prefer the less bitter ones.
It definitely is an acquired taste. I really didn’t eat bitter melon until my teen years. These days, I’ll cook it now and then. I like adding a bit of ginger to the dish – seems to cut the bitterness a bit. My mom also made a bitter melon soup using the dried bitter melons. That was bitter, but it seemed to make you feel better if you were sick. It was the go-to soup when feeling under the weather. Alas, her recipe disappeared when she passed away.
BTW, a big “Thank You!” to you and your family for this blog. It’s been a great way to revisit my childhood and my memories of my mother’s cooking. She had similar takes on some of the recipes. My sister and I have managed to recreate some dishes.
Judy says
You are very welcome, Linda! I know what you mean, bitter melon is not for everyone. I’ve heard that lighter color melons are less bitter, but i’m not sure how true that is. Blanching the bitter melon for 30 seconds before stir-frying can also help dull the bitterness!
George Chong says
Thank you for this recipe! I love bitter melon (my oldest sister – not so much). I made the recipe today and it came out perfect (like my memory serves me). My grandmother used to grow them in her garden. When they were overripe, she would take them and steam them with fermented shrimp paste. When she had an overly abundant amount, she would dry them in the sun and then make soup with it. The soup was especially bitter in taste!
Judy says
Hi George, you just named two other popular bitter melon recipes besides this Beef with Bitter Melon. My bitter melon plant did not produce much this year, so I did not do another bitter melon recipe. Let’s hope next year they will do me proud :-)
Sri Muljani says
Hi,
Just saw this recipe. I love bitter melon. The bitter the better.
The way my mom taught me to cut down the bitterness is by “washing” the sliced bitter melon with salt. Leave it for a few minutes, and then rinse in cold water.
I like cooking bittermelon with bacon, and garlic; tastes so good though.
Keep up the blog!
Thank you,
Best wishes
Judy says
Hi Sri, thank you for sharing your mother’s prep tip for the bitter melon. We appreciate all cooking tips, especially from an elder with many years of cooking knowledge ;-)
Cassidy B says
This dish was interesting- the bitter melon was so bitter! But it paired really nicely with a slice of beef in the same bite, and I find myself craving another go with that unique combination of flavors.
I accidentally made mine with canned black beans as I was really tired, but it turned out really well anyway! I was wondering if the dried black beans here are different than the bagged fermented black beans that I saw in the Tofu with Black bean sauce recipe?
Judy says
Hi Cassidy, I normally use dried black beans and black bean with garlic sauce that comes in a jar, but have never seen it in a can.
Chieko says
I enjoy eating the seeds fresh out of a bitter melon. They don’t taste bitter to me…somewhat of a nutty flavor that I think would be good toasted up like pumpkin seeds. The pith doesn’t bother me either. I don’t find that’s it any more bitter than the green part.
Baking soda definitely is the way to go for leaching out the bitterness.
Thanks! Looks delicious!!
Judy says
Hi Chieko, eating the bitter melon seeds sounds really interesting. I think I have to give it a try.
Janet says
I love bitter melon! I don’t eat beef so how could I make this with tofu? Thank you.
PS A Vietnamese friend (she’s a chef) makes it for me with egg scallions and fish sauce. YUM!
Judy says
Hi Janet, a couple of people have mentioned bitter melon with eggs to me––I need to give it a try :-)
Lucy Chou says
Loved this recipe! Usually my go to recipe is to stuff it with ground pork. It’s nice to have more than one way of cooking bitter melon. I have to admit I didn’t quite care for bitter melon the first time but it kind of grows on you.
Judy says
Hi Lucy, so glad you enjoyed it, it’s my go-to bitter melon recipe. I know it’s hard to believe, but it definitely grows on you.