Stewed Bittergourd with Chicken

I first tasted this dish when I was giving tuition to my colleagues' kids as a favor for a period of time. Since we went directly after work to her mother-in-law's place, it was a blessing to eat good home-cooked food there. And every time I tasted something good, I will asked her how she cooked it, especially those I thought my Dad would like. It's simple but a good variation from the normal way of how bitter gourds are cooked.

Ingredients

1/2 large bitter gourd or a small one, cut length wise into four and cut further into large chunks

1 boneless chicken thigh fillet, sliced into equal size as the bitter gourd

1/2 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed and chopped roughly

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

1 tablespoon finely minced ginger

1 or 2 chili padi, finely minced (optional)

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

2 teaspoons dark soy sauce

Steps

1. Heat up about 2 tablespoons of oil in a hot pan and briefly stir fry the minced ginger, garlic, fermented black beans and chili until fragrant.
2. Add in the chicken thigh fillets and cooked until just changed color.
3. Add in the bitter gourd chunks and mix well. Add in the dark soy sauce and oyster sauce before adding enough water to just cover the ingredients.
   
   
   
4. Turn to medium heat to simmer for about 10 minutes or until bitter gourd is soft (or to your preference).
   
   
   
   
5. Season with salt to taste before serving with rice.