BITTER MELON TO LOVE

One of the simplest things to cook is bitter melon with Chinese sausage, especially if the sausage is either greasy or crumbles nicely. You won't use much, so stop worrying about your arteries.
Bitter melon is good for you.

For one thing, it is hypoglycemic, or so I have been told.
It is also cooling, which is good during summer.
But you can eat it year-round.

Fortunately, I live in the SF Bay Area, so there is no problem finding it. And it is both cheap and delicious. I never tire of its crisp and peppy taste, indeed preferring it entirely unsalted, and nearly uncooked.


炒臘腸涼瓜
Chaau laap-cheung leung-gwaa

One large bitter melon, or two smaller ones.
One Chinese sausage (臘腸 'laap cheung').
Two Tablespoons chilipaste.
Hefty squeeze of lime juice.
A tiny dash of oil.

Cut the bitter melon along the length into two halves. Use a coffee spoon to scrape out seeds and pith. Chop the vegetable coarsely, so that it will not cook too fast.
Rinse the sausage under hot water so that the casing loosens, which then remove. It should peel off in one piece. Crumble the sausage.
Dump both the melon and the meat into the pan at the same time, stir-fry till the sausage pieces gain colour. Then splash in a small jigger of water, and cook it down a bit. Lastly add the chilipaste and lime juice, stir, and decant to a serving bowl.

Purely great with white rice.
Enough for two people.


金然棧 -- 肝腸
Kam Yen Jan: gon cheung

The Chinese sausage of choice is Kam Yen Jan brand, but specifically the version with pork liver added. To my taste it has just the right amount of sweetness, fat, and liver, and it's fun to cook with.


辣醬
Laat jeung

The 'chilipaste' I use is Sriracha hot sauce. If you have a sambal, you might need more or less. But you could also use fermented bean chili sauce (豆瓣醬 'dau baan jeung'). It's up to you.
And your sense of wonder.


苦瓜
Fu gwaa

Bitter melon (momordica charantia) has it's own advocacy group: The National Bitter Melon Council.

Quote: "The National Bitter Melon Council (NBMC) is devoted to the cultivation of a vibrant, diverse community through the promotion and distribution of Bitter Melon. Our projects, events, and festivals celebrate the health, social, culinary, and creative possibilities of this underappreciated vegetable. Advocating the acceptance of Bitter Melon across cultures and cuisines, we believe that Bitter Melon creates an alternative basis for community – that of bitterness!"

This sounds great, but unfortunately the website is not entirely finished.
The scaffolding is still up, and the primer ain't dry yet.
Can't wait to see what it will look like.



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