The Happy Home Cook: Steamed Stuffed Bitter Melon a la Siomai

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Steamed Stuffed Bitter Melon a la Siomai (Photo by Rene Astudillo)

If you have the acquired taste for bitter melon, you might enjoy a recipe of this steamed gourd stuffed with a ground pork mixture.  Think about it as having siomai with a twist!

I’ve seen other recipes of this concoction but I wanted to do it without overcooking the bitter melon to keep its nutrients and luscious green color.

There are ways to temper the bitterness of the gourd.  In this case, I soaked the bitter melon slices in salted water for about 15 minutes before rinsing and draining them in preparation for the stuffing.

There will be leftover pork mixture, so you might want to make meatballs out of it.  They can be steamed or fried.

Ingredients

2 medium-sized bitter melons

1/4 pound ground pork

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon red chilly pepper

1/4 cup raisins

1 tablespoon corn starch

Directions

Slice the bitter melon into 1 1/2 inch- thick rings. Using a teaspoon or kitchen knife, remove the seeds and hollow out the center of the rings.  Soak the rings in salted water for about 15 minutes before rinsing and draining them.  Set aside.

Meanwhile combine ground pork and all remaining ingredients and mix well.

Stuff the center of the rings with the pork mixture, making sure to create a little “hill” on top of each ring.

Boil water in a pot and place a steamer tray over it.  Place the stuffed bitter melon rings in the steamer (you may have to do it in batches), and cook for about 6-7 minutes.  Cooking the rings for longer periods will make the rings pale and mushy. 

Make tiny balls out of the leftover pork mixture and steam them in about the same amount as the stuffed bitter melon rings.

First published in: https://mybaykitchen.wordpress.com/2020/12/09/steamed-stuffed-bitter-melon-a-la-siomai/

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Rene Astudillo

Rene Astudillo is a writer, book author and blogger and has recently retired from more than two decades of nonprofit community work in the Bay Area. He spends his time between California and the Philippines.

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