Putien (莆田) Iced Bitter Gourd Slices Dipped In Honey

When I posted up on facebook on my homegrown bitter gourd, I asked my friends for new ideas on how to cook the bitter gourd other then braising with pork ribs , add them to omelette, cook them in soup and cold salad .  A dear friend Lynnette came to the rescue and suggested that I try this Putien Iced Bittergourd Slices dipped in honey.  I have never tried making it , but it sounds easy. Thus when I harvested my round and fat lil' bittergourd, I  tried my hands at making it with her descriptions of the dish.  I googled for Putien Iced Bitter Gourd and I got the whole picture on how to prepare this refreshing starter. The bitterness from the bitter gourd is balanced perfectly with the sweet fragrant honey that my son and daughter Elaine bought back from New Zealand for us.  This honey is really delicious, has a new fragrant and it perfect for this refreshing starter.  Thank you Lyn for introducing me to this healthy and delicious starter platter.

* Putien brand name has its roots traced back to Putian , a beautiful coastal town located in the Fujian province of China. Surrounded by spectacular ocean views.

my round and fat homegrown bitter gourd

slice the bitter gourd into thin translucent slices and soak them

in iced water for 3 mins 

or 

you put shaved ice on the bitter gourd slices  when serving

I soaked the slices in cold water for 3 mins then drained off the water

I used this honey from NZ ..very fragrant,

a perfect dip for the iced bittergourd slices

the toasted black sesame seeds gives character to the honey dip

the slices are crunchy and so refreshing

nothing beats homegrown edibles

Putien (莆田) Iced Bitter Gourd Slices Dipped In Honey

1 bitter gourd

Honey Dip

2 or 3 tbsp of Hortika Honey Dew or any honey of your choice

1 tsp toasted black sesame seeds - * optional

 Method:

Slice bittergourd as translucently thin as possible.  Soak in ice water for 3 mins or you can just add shaved ice on the slices when serving.  

To prepare the honey dip

You can use any honey of your choice. I used Hortika Honey Dew which is light and fragrant . Adding of toasted black sesame seeds gives the dip character.  It is optional.

Enjoy !

Stir Fry And Lightly Braised Bitter Melon

This is my all time favourite veggie dish.  After having a really scrumptious artery clogging hotpot last night, I cooked something light and appetizing for our  lunch today.  A simple stir fry and lightly braised bitter melon with some left over meat slices from last night.  Hubby loves this dish too. You can eat this with plain porridge and I did that. Cooked a pot of watery porridge and ate this aromatic dish.  Aromatic because of the fermented black beans sauted together with chopped chilli and garlic.  The scent and taste of this simple dish is so good that one dish is enough for the both of us :)

Stir Fry And Lightly Braised Bitter Melon

1 medium size bitter melon - slice into 1/4 inch thick
meat slices - I used left over meat from yesterday hotpot

1 tbsp of fermented black beans - wash and drain dry
3 cloves of garlic - chopped fine
2 bird's eye chilli - chopped fine
1.5 tbsp of rice bran oil
1/2 cup water
salt to taste

Method:

Heat up wok, add in 1.5 tbsp of rice bran oil. Once the oil is heated up, lower heat and saute garlic, fermented black beans and chilli till fragrant.  Add in the meat slices and stir fry till cooked .Add in the bitter melon slices and stir fry for 5 mins. Add in water and cover with lid and lightly braised for another 10 mins until the bitter melon is cooked. Add salt to taste. If you like to have more gravy, make half a cup of thickening to the bitter melon . Once it thickens, dish up and serve with rice or porridge.

Enjoy!