Name: Stir-Fried Lamb with Bitter Melon or Green Peppers and Black Beans
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: ¼ cup Shaoxing wine, dry sherry, sake, or white wine; ¼ cup fermented black beans; 3 tablespoons neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed; 3 or 4 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced, or 2 or 3 bitter melons, prepared as described in the headnote; 1 pound boneless lamb, from the leg or shoulder, cut into thin slices; ½ cup roughly chopped scallion; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; ⅓ cup chicken stock, preferably homemade, or water; 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger; 1 tablespoon minced garlic

Preparation info

Makes
4
servings

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
30 min

Appears in

The Best Recipes in the World

By Mark Bittman

Published 2005

About

Bitter melon is a cucurbit; so is cucumber, and they resemble one another. (But so is a cantaloupe, so the melon reference isn’t far off.) Its flavor, though, is akin to that of green peppers, which are much easier to find. Serve this over white rice.

If you have access to bitter melons, by all means use them; cut them in half the long way, then scoop out the seeds and fluffy insides, which are like those found in overripe zucchini, before chopping and proceeding as directed.