Simple Comfort Food
INGREDIENTS
Serves 2-4
1 large bitter melon
2 tbs chinese salted black beans
2 cups chicken broth
2 Basa Swai fish fillets (Basa Swai, Tilapia, Catfish will work)
4 tbs corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup chicken broth or water
(to thicken sauce)
Serve with steamed white rice
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Prep Fish
Roughly slice fish fillets into 1 inch pieces. Set aside.
Step 2: Prep Bitter Melon
Cut off each end and slice melon in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove seeds and pith. Roughly slice melon into 1 inch pieces at an angle (watch youtube video for reference). Cutting the melon this way creates a nice mouth feel and carries the black bean sauce nicely.
Step 3: Make Black Bean Sauce
In a small bowl, stir together corn starch and 1/4 cup of chicken broth or water until fully incorporated and set aside (this will be added later to thicken the sauce). Next, roughly smash black beans in mortar and pestle or roughly smash them with the back of a spoon in a bowl. Then in a sauté pan, bring chicken broth to a boil on high heat. Next add smashed black beans and stir until evenly distributed. Let boil for 30 seconds and continue to step 4.
Step 4: Cook Bitter Melon and Fish
Add bitter melon to the sauté pan which is still at a boil. Lower to medium heat, cover and cook for 1 minute. Next, add sliced fish fillet and evenly distribute into 1 layer. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove cover, stir a bit and cook until melon and fish is cooked through. (Cover helps to steam everything but if you don’t have one it will be ok).
Step 5: Thicken Sauce
Next, you may need to re-stir the corn starch slurry a bit to make sure the corn starch hasn’t settled.
While gently stirring the pan with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, slowly pour in the slurry a little at a time to thicken the sauce to your desired thickness (after each pour, stir it a bit to incorporate well and gauge how much it thickens).
[Don’t dump slurry in all at once in one spot or you’ll have a clumpy mess]
Be careful not to mangle the fish pieces when you’re stirring the pot.
Serve with steamed white rice and enjoy!