In the Philippines, they say, ginisang ampalaya is a poor man’s meal because it’s very budget-friendly. It does not cost a lot. Sometimes, you can just pick these at your neighbor’s or friend’s garden for free. But, for us, Filipinos living abroad, it’s a luxury, comforting food. For us that live in the wintery west, we don’t always have access to this vegetable. Unless you live in the south, then, you can just plant this in your backyard.
Another great thing about eating bitter gourd is, it has lots of nutritional benefits. It has properties that act like insulin, that some diabetic people include this vegetable in their meals or drinks. If you can’t tolerate the bitterness, you can always soak it with salt prior to cooking.
Inexpensive bitter melon recipe, yet very healthy.
- 1 large bitter melon/gourd
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 pinch salt
-
Wash the bitter melon thoroughly and remove the white pith and seeds from the middle. Cut into thin slices.
-
Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt to get rid of bitterness.
-
Soak for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the juice using your hands or cheesecloth.
-
Heat the frying pan on medium heat. Melt the butter.
-
Saute the onion for 3 minutes, add garlic stir for a minute, and add tomatoes, stir for 2 minutes.
-
Add the bitter melon and cook for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
-
Sprinkle 2 pinch of salt and ground black pepper to taste. Mix.
-
Pour the egg mixture and stir. Cook the eggs thoroughly before removing them from the heat.
-
Serve with rice.
