Delicious UK - (01)January 2020

Steamedstuffed

bittermelonwith

blackbeansauce

SERVES4-6ASPARTOFA SHARINGMENU.

HANDS-ONTIME20 MIN, STEAMING

TIME 15-18 MIN

Mymotherlovedtomake

theseatChineseNewYear

becausetheyrepresentthe

givingofgifts– a surprisetreat

wrappedupinsidebittermelon.

Bittermelonorcucumberlends

itselfwelltostuffing,itstender,

succulentfleshcomplemented

by a savoury filling.

MAKE

AHEAD

Maketotheendofstep2,

cool,thencoverand chill for

upto6 hours.

KNOW-

HOW

Bittermelonshavea

toughcucumber-like

texturewitha strong,

bitterflavour.They’reavailable

fromAsiansupermarketsandat

thai-food-online.co.uk.If youcan’t

findthemusecucumberinstead.

Fermented black beans are salted

preservedblacksoybeans.

Fermentedblackbeanpasteis

availableintheCook’sIngredients

rangeatWaitrose.If youcan’tfind

it,usethesameamountof black

beansaucefroma jar.

FOOD

TEAM’S

TIP

Freezeleftoverfillingin

anairtightcontainerfor

upto1 month.Defrostin

the fridge overnight before using.

• 2 largebittermelons(350-450g;
  see Know-how, or use cucumber)

FORTHEFILLING

• 225gBritishfree-range 10% fat
  mincedpork


• 2 tspfinelychoppedfreshginger


• 2 tbspfinelychoppedspringonions


• 2 tbspshaoxing rice wine or
  drysherry


• Pinchsugar


• 1 tbsplightsoysauce


• 1 tsptoastedsesameoil


• 1 mediumfree-range egg,
  lightlybeaten


• 1 tspcornflour, plus extra
  for dusting

FORTHESAUCE

• 2 tbspgroundnutorvegetableoil


• 1 tbsproughlychoppedgarlic


• 2 tbspfermentedblackbean
  paste(seeKnow-how)


• 1 tbspshaoxing rice wine or
  drysherry


• 1 tbspoystersauce


• 200mlchickenstock


• 1 tspcornflour mixed with 1 tsp
  coldwater


• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil

YOU’LLALSONEED...

• Steamerorwok/deeppan
  witha lidanda rackset
  inside;lippedheatproof
  plate that will fit inside

1 Forthefilling,mixallthe

ingredientsina bowl.Cutthebitter

melon(orcucumber)into2.5cm

rounds,discardingtheends.With

a smallsharpknife,removeand

discardthecoreofpulpandseeds.

2 Lightlydusttheinsidesofthe

sliceswithcornflour.Filleachwith

a generousspoonfulofthefilling,

thenarrangeona heatproofplate

(onethatwillfitinsidethesteamer).

SeeMakeAheadandtip.

3 Setupa steamer(orputa rackin

a wokordeeppan)andhalffillwith

water.Bringtotheboilovera high

heat,thencarefullylowerinthe

plate.Turntheheattolow,then

covertightlyandsteamgentlyfor

15-18minutes(youmay have to do

thisintwobatches).

4 Meanwhiletomakethesauce,

heata wokorlargefryingpanover

a highheatuntilveryhot.Addtheoil

and,whenslightlysmoking,addthe

garlicandblackbeanpaste,then

stir-fryfor 30 seconds.Addthe

remainingsauceingredients,except

thecornflourmixtureandsesame

oil.Simmer,thenstirinthe

cornflourmixtureuntilthickened.

Bubblegentlyfor1 minute.Stirin

thesesameoil,transferthestuffed

bittermelontoa servingplate, pour

overthesauceandserve.

PERSERVING(FOR6)208kcals,

14.1gfat(3.2gsaturated),12.7g

protein,6.1gcarbs(3gsugars),

1.1g salt, 1.7g fibre →

SUSYATKINS’

W INEPICKS

Trya German

rieslingwiththe

savourydishes

here,ideallyan

off-dryexample.

Thewhistle-clean

appletangand

honeyedhintare

perfect.Ken’s

appleswith

sesameneeda

properlysweet

winethough,

bestofalla Loire

Valleydessert

chenin blanc.

64 deliciousmagazine.co.uk