portion of Panocha cane sugar (Chinese brown sugar bar)*
¼
cup soy sauce (prefer Healthy Boy brand)*
1
teaspoon salt
1
teaspoon mushroom seasoning**
Tofu filling:
1
block (1 pound or ½ kg) fresh tofu*
2
Tablespoons dried and shredded black fungus*, soaked and cut into thin strips
1
small bundle (approx. 30g or 1 oz.) cellophane noodles*, soaked and cut 2 cm (1-inch) long
Tofu seasonings:
⅓
Tablespoon mushroom seasoning**
¼
teaspoon salt
1
Tablespoon granulated sugar
⅛
teaspoon black pepper
1
Tablespoon olive oil
Directions:
Tofu filling:
1.
Soak the tofu in boiling water and drain.
2.
Cut the tofu into the small pieces and place in a cheesecloth bag. Then squeeze out any excess water.
3.
Put the tofu and all the ingredients for the tofu seasonings in a food processor and blend into a smooth paste.
4.
Then transfer contents to a big bowl. Add in the dried black fungus and the cellophane noodles. Mix thoroughly.
Cooking the bitter melon:
1.
Cut each bitter melon into 2 cm (1-inch) slices.
2.
With a sharp knife, scoop out the spongy white pulp and seeds within the center of each bitter melon slice.
3.
Stuff the tofu filling into the bitter melon slices. Preheat the canola oil in a frying pan and fry the stuffed bitter melon pieces until partially golden. Place cooked melon aside.
4.
Heat a saucepan on the stove. When hot, add in the canola oil, the minced onion, the chopped tomato, the tomato sauce, and ½ cup water.
5.
Stir-fry until the sauce thickens.
6.
Then add in all the tomato sauce seasonings. Bring to a boil.
7.
Add the stuffed bitter melon and simmer on low heat until tender.
