Bittergourd Stir Fry With 2 Kinds Of Eggs

The bittergourd or bitter melon is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. It has lots of vitamins B complex and C and also has lots of iron, beta-carotene and potassium. It is a versatile ingredient. It can be stir fried, deep fried as in tempura, cooked in soup as in yong tau fu or braised.

There are 2 varieties; the bigger version can grow to 20 cm long and the smaller version grows to about 10 cm long.

In this recipe, the bittergourd is stir fried with salted egg and fresh chicken eggs. I use the longer variety.

large bittergourd

To prepare this dish, the bittergourd is cut lengthwise and seeds taken out. The bittergourd is then cut into thin strips. To get rid of some bitterness, the cut bittergourd is blanched quickly in boiling water.

Recipe (serves 5 as a side dish)

small bittergourd

Half a bittergourd, about 250 grams, cut into strips (the other half is kept for another day)
2 eggs, stirred
1 salted egg, diced
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped.
1tbs cooking oil
dash of pepper

salted egg

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan or wok on medium heat
Toss in the chopped garlic and fry till fragrant.
Toss in the bittergourd and  the 2 kinds of eggs and add a dash of pepper.
Stir fry
The dish is ready when the eggs are cooked.

Note: no salt is added, as the salted egg provides the salty taste and added flavour

This 2 minute video tells more about the bittergourd and how to cut them.



In the next 4 minute video, the small bittergourd is fried tempura Indian style.





In this 9 minute video, the stir fried bittergourd is flavoured with dried anchovies, garlic and fermented black beans. It would be nicer to spoon out the anchovies when they are crispy and serve as a topping.