Bitter Melon Braised Chicken (Ku Gua Men Ji)

Why people make this dish

Late summer after the Start of Autumn brings an uncomfortable combination: residual heat from summer and the rising dampness that comes with occasional downpours. The body responds with fatigue, loss of appetite, and a general sense of heaviness. At times like these, a dish with bitter melon does double duty — it clears the lingering heat while stimulating a sluggish appetite. One of bitter melon’s most interesting qualities is what earns it the poetic Chinese nickname “the gentleman vegetable”: unlike most ingredients, its bitterness stays entirely within itself and never transfers to the meat or other vegetables it is cooked with. So the chicken remains fully savoury while the melon does its cooling, cleansing work.