Bitter melon in black bean chili sauce

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Bitter melon is often paired with fermented black beans in Chinese cuisine. You could easily swap out the pork for thinly sliced beef in this savory, spicy stir-fry.

2 bitter melons, yellow or whiter in color

For the pork:

6 ounces ground pork

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon minced fresh peeled ginger 1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the sauce:

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons Chinese fermented black beans in chili, smashed

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste 1 tablespoon sugar

¼ cup water mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons oil, for stir-frying, divided

1. Halve melons lengthwise. Scoop out and discard all the seeds. Cut melon crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices and set aside.

2. Prepare pork: In a small bowl, mix ground pork with rice vinegar, ginger, sugar and salt. Set aside.

3. Prepare sauce: Mix garlic, fermented black beans, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, salt and sugar in a bowl and set aside.

4. Heat wok over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and heat until shimmering. Add pork mixture and cook, tossing and stirring, until the pork is just cooked through. Scrape out onto a clean plate.

5. Return the wok to high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and heat until shimmering. Add bitter melon slices to the wok. Stir-fry until the melon is considerably softened but still a bit crisp, about 5 minutes. 6. Add the sauce mixture and mix with the melon, then stir-fry for 1 minute longer.

7. Turn off the heat and add the cornstarch slurry to the wok. Stir around rapidly to prevent the cornstarch from clumping. Add a few tablespoons more water to the wok if needed to thin out the sauce.

8. Return the wok to low heat and simmer the mixture for 20 seconds. Add the pork mixture back to the wok, stirring to combine. Serve immediately over rice.

— Adapted from Seriouseats.com