Featured Recipe
I’m particularly excited to share this recipe. I grew up eating bitter melon which we called Ampalaya in the Philippines, a small developing country in Southwest Asia. The recipe below is based on how I remember my mother’s way of cooking it. Thanks to the advent of global commerce, anyone can now purchase fresh bitter melon online.
I tweaked the recipe a little bit to suit wider dietary preferences. My mother’s original recipe called for dried shrimp, fish sauce, and eggs for such robust umami goodness. In my recipe below, I substituted them with black bean paste and tofu. Just like my mother taught me, I mashed the sliced bitter melon in salt, squeezed the juice out, and rinsed it under running water. Doing it this way will lessen the bitterness a bit.
BITTER MELON STIR-FRY
Yield: 6-8 Servings
*Low Carb, *Vegan, *Vegetarian, *Keto, *DASH diet, *Diabetic, *Anti-Inflammation, *High fiber diet, *Alkaline diet, *Dairy-free, *Gluten-free, *Southbeach diet
Download Recipe Below
Ingredients:
Bittermelon – 3 medium pcs.
Salt – 2 Tbsp.
Olive oil – 3 Tbsp.
Garlic – 3 cloves, chopped
Onion – 1 medium, chopped
Tomato – 3 medium pcs. chopped
Black bean sauce – 3 Tbsp.
Tofu – 1 block
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparations & Cooking:
1. Wash the bitter melon and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pit and seeds. Then slice into half-moon rounds.
2. Place the sliced bitter melon in a bowl. Add the salt. Using one hand, mash the bittermelon and the salt, making sure the salt is fully blended in.
3. Squeeze out the juice and rinse the bitter melon under running water.
4. In a saute pan or wok, if available, heat up the oil and saute the garlic, onion, and tomato until caramelized.
5. Drain the water off the tofu and break into crumbles.
6. Add the tofu and black bean paste into the pan and stir to blend. Cover the pan and let it simmer until the bitter melon is tender.
7. Adjust the taste by adding salt and pepper or any other dried herbs if desired.
8. Best served with steamed rice.
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