Bitter Bites

The Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 25 g (or ¼ cup) of Chinese style dried shrimp
• 10 g (or 2 teaspoons) of chia seeds
• 2 large bitter melons, each weighing about 400 g (or 14 oz)
• 260 g (or 9 oz) of ground pork
• 15 ml (or 1 tablespoon) of oyster sauce
• stevia equivalent to 6 g (or 1 teaspoon) of sugar
• 10 g (or 1 tablespoon) of garlic
• 10 g (or 1 tablespoon) of ginger
• 10 g (or 1 tablespoon) of Chinese style salted black beans
• 10 g (or 2 teaspoons) of finely ground black pepper
• 7 g (or 1 teaspoon) of salt
• 15 ml (or 1 tablespoon) of light (but not low-salt) soy sauce
• olive oil

The Method:

1. Soak the dried shrimp in a cup of warm water two hours in advance of cooking the melons.
2. Grind the chia seeds finely and soak them in 45 ml (or 3 tablespoons) of water 15 minutes before cooking the melons.
3. Drain the water off the shrimp, pat them dry, and chop them very finely.
4. Saute the shrimp in a little olive oil and set them aside to cool.
5. Cut the bitter melons into slices approximately 1 cm (or ¾ inch) thick.
6. Remove the center pith and seeds from each slice.
7. Blanch the slices in boiling water for 3 minutes, and drain immediately. Then set them aside to cool.
8. Finely chop or combine in a food processor the garlic, ginger, and black beans. 
9. Add the pepper to this mixture and set this mixture aside.
10. To 125 ml (or ½ cup) of water, add the oyster sauce and stevia and mix well. Set aside.
11. Place the ground pork in a bowl, and add the shrimp, the chia seeds (which will have formed a gel), the salt, and the soy sauce. Mix well, using a fork or potato masher if necessary to distribute the chia seed gel throughout the pork.
12. Stuff the bitter melon slices with the pork mixture.
13. In a large skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil, as for stir-fry over medium-high heat. 
14. Add the garlic mixture and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
15. Lay the melon slices flat on the bottom of the pan to sear on one side for 3 minutes.
16. Turn the slices over and sear them on the other side for 3 minutes.
17. Adjust the heat to medium-low, and pour the oyster sauce mixture over the stuffed melon slices. 
18. Place a lid on the skillet and simmer the bitter melon for a further 5 minutes.