Before you start cringing over the thought of bitter gourd, think about all the health benefits this fiesty vegetable can do for you. Despite its strong taste, bitter gourd can help maintain your body's sugar levels, lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and also liver cleansing. That is why, today, we are trying out this simple yet amazing recipe by our home cook Shirley Tay that we highly recommend you to give a shot at.
Shirley remembers her first taste of bitter gourd chicken at a restaurant and like most of us, she had anticipated what many would call an "acquired" taste. But her assumptions were wrong! This dish if cooked to perfection has a slithery soft texture that she wouldn't have imagined coming from a bitter vegetable (pun not intended). As a person who likes to experiment with food, Shirley Tay naturally tried to replicate this dish and has recreated it with an award-winning recipe. Apart from this dish, Shirley as a avid home cook, have generously shared her recipes in her blog Luxury Haven.
While healthy food is sometimes tainted with the connotation of bland and raw, this recipe will literally take all those bitter memories away! The enticing flavours of sesame oil, Chinese cooking wine, black sauce and oyster sauce complements the strong bold flavours of the bitter gourd which is infused into the tender chicken meat. Shirley's cooking methods of stir-frying and simmering blends all the magic together attaining the "melt-in-your-mouth" sensation that you'll never regret taking that first bite!
So before you dismiss the idea of the distasteful bitter gourd, try this dish first and we bet you won't feel bitter at all.

Servings | Prep Time |
6 people | 30 minutes |
Cook Time |
30 minutes |
|
|
![]() |
The enticing flavours of sesame oil, Chinese cooking wine, black sauce and oyster sauce complements the strong bold flavours of the bitter gourd which is infused into the tender chicken meat. Shirley's cooking methods of stir-frying and simmering blends all the magic together attaining the "melt-in-your-mouth" sensation that you'll never regret taking that first bite!
|
- 1 piece bitter gourd (1个苦瓜)
- 12 pieces chicken mid-joint wings (12个鸡翅膀中段)
- 3 cloves garlic minced (3瓣大蒜,蒜末)
- 3 tbps spicy brown bean paste (3汤匙辣味豆瓣酱)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (1茶匙酱油)
- 1 cup water (1杯水)
- 1 tsp corn flour (1茶匙玉蜀黍粉)
- 1 tsp chinese cooking wine either Shao Xing or Hua Tiao can be used (1小茶匙绍兴或花调酒)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (1茶匙麻油)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (1茶匙酱油)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (1汤匙蚝油)
- 1 pinch salt and pepper (盐和胡椒少许)
- In a mixing bowl, marinate chicken for 1 hr. (把腌料和鸡肉拌匀。放入冰箱腌1小时。)
- Remove skin and cut Bitter Gourd in half. Use a spoon to scrap off the core. Cut bitter gourd in thick slices. To reduce the bitterness, soak 500ml of water with 1 tsp of salt for an hour and drain. (削掉苦瓜皮,切半。用汤匙把核和种子刮掉。把苦瓜切成厚片。在一个碗里,倒入苦瓜,500毫升的水和1茶匙的盐。浸泡一小时就能减少苦味。沥干备用。)
- In a frying pan with 1 tsp of oil, add in garlic, stir-fry on low heat till fragrant. Pan-fry chicken wing till ¾ cooked. Set side. (在一个煎锅热1茶匙的油,用小火炒大蒜,直到香味扑鼻。把翅膀中煎到¾煮熟。备用。)
- In a heated wok, add in Bitter Gourd, Spicy Bean Paste, Dark Soya Sauce and Water. Simmer for 20 mins until the Bitter Gourd is semi-softened. Add in chicken wings, mix well and simmer for another 10 mins. (在热炒锅里,加入苦瓜,辣豆瓣酱,酱油和水。用小火煮20分钟,直到苦瓜半软化。加入鸡翅拌匀,焖另一个10分钟)
- Ready to serve! (上菜咯!)
Recipes adapted from Shirley Tay, Lifestyle Blogger at Luxury Haven
Follow Shirley on Facebook - https://goo.gl/pdMqDg
Do you love to cook and/or bake?
Join us as Share Food Ambassador and enjoy exclusive privileges!
Share Food is looking for home cooks and home bakers to be featured in videos and get free cookware and kitchenware! Register your interest at https://www.sharefood.sg/submit-recipe
Find us on both Facebook and Instagram
Instagram – goo.gl/qTRTlg
Facebook – goo.gl/KGbFcr
Website – https://www.sharefood.sg/
Facebook Comments