Thursday, October 14, 2010

Bitter Gourd with Chicken in Fermented Black Beans

Bitter gourd or bitter melon is delicious cooked in this simple Chinese dish. Bitter gourd is very low in calories but very high in nutrients.  It is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, and B3, C, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, and has high dietary fiber.  It is rich in iron, contains twice the beta-carotene of broccoli, twice the calcium of spinach, and twice the potassium of a banana.  Now that you know all the goodness of bitter gourd, give this a try if you have not tried it before. Luckily for me, my children love this veggie. There are other methods to cook this bitter melon, will post them when I cook them!










Fermented black beans


I'm sharing this at Recipe Swap Thursday at Prairie Story.  


Bitter Gourd with Chicken In Fermented Black Beans
Ingredients :
1 whole chicken thigh, remove skin and cut to small pieces
1 medium size bitter gourd melon
1 tbsp fermented black bean
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 clove garlic, minced
3 slices ginger, cut to julienne strips
1 tsp black soy sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/4 cup water

Method :

  1. Marinate chicken pieces with the oyster sauce.  Stir in sesame oil.  Keep aside.
  2. How to cut bitter gourd : Slice half lengthwise, remove seeds. Cut crosswise to three sections, then cut each section lengthwise to thickness of about 1cm sticks.
  3. Heat oil. Saute minced garlic and ginger till fragrant.  Add fermented black beans and stir for half a minute. Add chicken pieces and stir for about  3 minutes. Add in the bitter gourd and stir for about 1 minute.  Add water, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce. Stir till evenly combined. Cover, simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice in between, till chicken is cooked and bitter gourd is tender.
  4. Dish out and serve hot. Enjoy!

22 comments:

  1. never heard of this combination ...sounds n looks delicious

    Satya
    http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

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  2. I have never tasted bitter melon, and have never seen it available here in New Zealand, but something for me to try if I ever come across it.
    Sue

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  3. I'd use to run away when my mum cooks bittergourd! I just hated it last time..
    But not now...I regretted for running away! hehehe ;)

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  4. I am also a big fan of this vege. Bitter guard and fermented black beans is a great combination.
    Can't wait for your next recipe for this vege.

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  5. I've never tasted or seen bitter gourd either, but I'm willing to try anything. You don't happen to deliver, do you?

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  6. You have no idea how happy I am to finally found out the name of this! I tried gourd at my Chinese friend's house for dinner (they grow it) but as their English is limited they didn't know the name of it. It was really fantastic and complimented chicken fantastically. So great pairing of ingredients here, and thanks for the enlightenment :D

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  7. Oooh....my favourite. I miss bitter gourd. I can eat the whole plate :D

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  8. Thats an interesting dish, looks awesome!

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  9. woww..what a combo..this looks delicious.. :)

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  10. This is my favourite dish. I love bitter gourd!

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  11. This is a nice and tasty dish with the black beans. Bitter melon takes a little getting use to but once you overcome that bitter taste, it is actually very good. Letting it sit in a little sprinkling of salt and then rinsing it helps.

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  12. Never have heard of bitter gourd. It sounds interesting and I'd like to try it. It must be delicious with the black beans!

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  13. Never had this combination before...sounds interesting....:)

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  14. I've never tried bitter gourd, but I've been looking for it ever since you posted a recipe a while back for it. I'd love to try it- this dish sounds really good and good for you too!

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  15. Hi Satya,
    Thank you for visiting. Have a nice day!

    Hi C&C,
    I really hope that you will be able to try it. You may have to get used to the bitter taste, but it is delicious.

    Hi Love2Cook,
    I used to hate it too, as a child. But now, I could just eat my rice with this one dish!

    Hi AloyCia E.Joan,
    Yes, bitter gourd and fermented black beans really go well together. Thanks for stopping by.

    Hi Brenda,
    He! He! Wish I could! Thank you for visiting. Have a nice day!

    Hi Brittany,
    So glad that this post helps you with some info. I'm glad too that you have tried this delicious gourd. Good for you!

    Hi Mary Moh,
    Yes, I could eat the whole plate too! Have a nice day!

    Hi Priya,
    Thank you for visiting. Have a nice day!

    Hi Lena,
    Thank you for visiting. Have a lovely day!

    Hi Autumn Belle,
    It seems that bitter gourd do have a long line of fans!

    Hi Biren,
    Yes, it is really delicious once you get used to the bitter taste. Have a nice day.

    Hi Pam,
    Hope you will be able to try it. But be prepared for the slight bitter taste, don't let this scare you, it is actually very delicious!

    Hi Foodie Ann,
    Thank you for your visit. Have a nice day!

    Hi scrambledhenfruit,
    Hope you find the bitter gourd melon, and let me know, whether you like it!

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  16. I've cooked something like this before. The next time I do it, I will use your recipe. Hopefully soon.

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  17. It must have been ages since I last had bitter gourd...miss them a lot! My mum used to make the bitter gourd claypot with black mushrooms, dried shrimps...very delicious.

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  18. I have seen bitter gourd prepared so many times recently & have wondered how to go about using it in a dish. Here is one I would like to try. Sounds wonderful. Who knew they had that many good vitamins? Wow! Great info.

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  19. I have not heard of bitter gourd but I do like Chinese food very much so will have to see if I can find it.

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  20. Hi One,
    How about sharing your recipe! Hope you enjoy trying out mine.

    Hi Angie,
    Bitter gourd claypot sounds delicious. I can understand why you miss this! I would, too!

    Hi Dee,
    The Chinese older folks always says that the bitter the veggie, the more nutritious it is! Bitter gourd definitely falls in this category!

    Hi alison,
    Thank you. Have a lovely day!

    Hi SavoringTime in the Kitchen,
    Hope you will be able to find the bitter gourd. Have a nice day!

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  21. Outstanding post.
    Lovely colours and flavours ♥

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