Braised Bitter Melon with Roast Pork Belly

Why people make this dish

Crispy roast pork belly and bitter melon are a pairing that just works — the rich, savoury pork balances the clean bitterness of the gourd beautifully. Cooking the bitter melon with minced garlic, ginger and fermented black beans tempers its cooling, bitter nature, while the dish is traditionally enjoyed to clear summer heat and support clear eyes and healthy blood pressure.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Anyone who wants a savoury, appetising summer dish to clear heat.
• Bitter melon is cooling by nature; the ginger and garlic in this recipe help balance that. People with a very cold constitution may want to go easy.

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Bitter melon (liang gua): traditionally associated with clearing summer heat, brightening the eyes and supporting healthy blood pressure.
• Roast pork belly (siu yuk): adds rich savoury flavour that pairs well with the bitterness.
• Ginger, garlic and fermented black beans: warming aromatics traditionally used to offset the cooling nature of bitter melon and add fragrance.

Ingredients (2–3 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Bitter melon	2	Smooth-skinned variety is milder; deseed and blanch
Roast pork belly	~300 g (half catty)	Crispy-skin is ideal
Minced ginger	to taste
Minced garlic	to taste
Fermented black beans	to taste
Seasoning	to taste

Method

1. Deseed and cut the bitter melon into pieces, then blanch.
2. Heat oil and stir-fry the minced ginger, garlic and fermented black beans until fragrant.
3. Add the roast pork belly and bitter melon and stir-fry together.
4. Splash in some wine, add a little water and seasoning, and braise until the bitter melon is tender and the sauce has reduced. Plate and serve.

Bro Niu’s tips

There are many kinds of bitter melon. This one is the smooth-skinned type, which is less bitter. There is also a spindle-shaped variety (sometimes nicknamed “thunder god chisel”) that is fragrant but more bitter, and a white-skinned variety that is often juiced — the juice is traditionally valued for supporting healthy blood pressure.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (angel): I keep seeing pretty white Taiwanese bitter melons. My family has high blood pressure — would juicing them to drink be good? Would it be too cooling? Bro Niu: Bitter melon juice of any kind is traditionally associated with supporting healthy blood pressure, but it is cooling. You can juice a sweet green bell pepper along with it, or add a little ginger juice, to reduce the cooling nature.

• Q (reader): What soup helps when the eyes are red? Bro Niu: If the redness comes with no pain and seems heat-related, you can simmer self-heal spike (xia ku cao) ~37 g first in 4 bowls of water for 40 minutes, then add chrysanthemum (ju hua) ~11 g for 5 minutes. It is traditionally used to ease red, light-sensitive eyes.

• Q (reader): I wake up with a bitter taste in my mouth lately — any soup to suggest? Bro Niu: A bitter mouth may relate to heat in the liver. You can simmer self-heal spike with water chestnuts, or use snow pear, apple, Solomon’s seal (yu zhu) and figs in a lean-pork soup, traditionally used to nourish yin and moisten dryness.

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Published July 31, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.