Stir-fried beef in black bean sauce with bitter melon

Cut the beef into big chunks, find the direction of the muscle fibers, and slice across the grain about one fifth of an inch thick.

Marinate the beef with the salt, baking soda, cornstarch, Chinese cooking wine, soy sauce and dark soy sauce, and stir to mix well.

Add a drizzle of vegetable oil to coat, so the starched beef sticks less, and set aside 15 minutes.

Discard the end of the bitter melon, cut it in half then into quarters.

Remove the spongy white inside completely, scraping the last of it out with a rounded teaspoon, since it is the most bitter part, then cut on a 45 degree angle into half inch thick slices.

Season the bitter melon with 1 teaspoon of salt, rub for a minute or two, and let it sit 15 minutes.

Squeeze out as much moisture as possible and discard it, then rinse several times under cold running water to wash off the salt. The cells reabsorb water and it turns crunchy again. Drain thoroughly.

Slice the garlic and ginger thinly.

Mix the sauce: soy sauce, oyster sauce, black bean sauce, cornstarch and beef stock.

Heat the wok on high until smoking hot, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil and swirl to cover the bottom.

Loosen the beef so it does not clump, add it to the wok and stir one to two minutes only, until most of it has changed colour but some pink remains. Turn the heat off and lift the beef out, tilting the wok to leave the oil behind.

Turn the heat back to medium, add the garlic, ginger and bitter melon and stir a few minutes until the bitter melon is a bit soft.

Pour in the sauce, return the beef, and keep mixing a minute or two.

Serve with white rice.