Bitter Melon (or Like Father, Like Son)

Now that Man is officially Husband, I've begun to notice some similar trends between his behaviors and those of his father.  His English is better--usually, though the pronunciation can be off some days--but there are definitely some trademark habits.

Such as the scowl that flickered on and off as he prepared Bitter Melon with Beef.  (With a name like this, we will soon start offering take-out until 2am..)

First it was the pan shape.  We have a stainless steel frying pan.  Noticeably flatter and shallower than a wok.  Flipping mishaps ensued.  Next came the frustratingly minimal heat offering from our stove top.  Not hot enough to sear, so everything took longer to brown and thus grew close to the precipice of OverCooked.

Regardless, the Bitter Melon with Beef turned out decent for his first attempt.  And should you ever need a beer pairing for this illustrious dish, I'd recommend just about anything.  Our Chimey Bleu, which is lovely on its own, tasted like sweet caramel after one bite of dinner.

At the end of the meal, I asked Man how he felt about having a wok station (google it, I dare you) when we eventually buy our house.  He frowned, stared at our meal and tried to earnestly convince himself that he could eventually learn to cook on a regular stove top.  My wifely translation of his efforts? Yes, I really, really, really do want/need the Double Wok Station my dad has stored in his back room for our eventual house.

Let me not be the one to separate a Chinese chef's son and his wok.  But my requirement of "decent sized kitchen" just upgraded to a mandatory "BIG kitchen."