Reducing the Bitterness

1. Slice the bitter melon and drop into lightly salted boiling water. Cook for one minute, then remove the melon from the boiling water and drop into ice water.

2. Cut the bitter melon in half and remove the seeds and fibrous core. Salt the bitter melon and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Rinse and use in your favorite recipe.

3. Pickle the bitter melon by dropping sliced melon into a pickling solution and cook for two minutes. To make the pickling solution, boil 1 cup white vinegar, 2 tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. turmeric and 2 tsp. salt.

Sitr-Fried Bitter Melon

1. Prepare the bitter melons by blanching, pickling or salting.

2. Mix ground pork with ginger, 1 tsp. rice wine, 1/2 tsp. sugar and 1/4 tsp. salt.

3. Combine garlic, black beans, chilies, fish sauce, 1 tbsp. rice wine, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 tbsp. sugar.

4. Combine water and cornstarch.

5. Heat 3 tbsp. oil in a wok and cook pork mixture until pork is fully cooked. Remove from wok and set aside.

6. Heat remaining 2 tbsp. oil in wok and stir-fry bitter melon for five to seven minutes.

7. Add sauce and cook for one minute.

8. Remove wok from heat and add cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly.

9. Return wok to burner and cook over low heat for 30 seconds.

10. Stir in cooked pork mixture and remove from heat.