Steamed bitter melon stuffed with dace and water chestnut
Bitter melon rings filled with springy dace paste and crunchy water chestnut, steamed rather than fried — clean, bittersweet and great with rice.
- 40 min
- Serves 3
- Steam
- Medium
Why it suits you: Damp-Heat shows up as spots, a bitter taste and dark urine, all worse in Minor Heat's sticky heat. Bitter melon clears summer heat, water chestnut eases thirst and dace supports digestion and drains water — steamed with little oil, it cools without any greasiness.
Method
Prep 25 min · Cook 15 min- 1Peel, smash and finely chop the water chestnuts and chop the spring onions. Stir both into the fish paste in one direction, then slap it against the bowl a few times until springy.
- 2Cut the bitter melon into 2 cm rings and scoop out the seeds and white pith — the cleaner, the less bitter. Dust the insides with a thin layer of cornflour.
- 3Press the fish paste into the rings, smooth the tops and arrange on a plate.
- 4Steam over boiling water on high heat for 12–15 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and the melon turns bright green.
- 5Pour off the liquid on the plate, drizzle with the soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil, and serve with rice.
Cautions
- Bitter melon is cold — in pregnancy, during your period or if your digestion runs cold and loose, keep portions small.
Chef's tips
- Wet-market fish stalls sell ready-seasoned dace paste. Blanching the rings for 1 minute before stuffing softens the bitterness further.
The TCM view
Bitter melon is bitter and cold and clears summer heat; water chestnut is sweet and cold, clearing heat, easing thirst and resolving phlegm; dace is sweet and neutral, supporting digestion and draining water, and it softens the melon's bitter cold. Steaming keeps it light and low in oil — exactly how Damp-Heat should eat.
