Eggs with Bitter Melon (Scrambled Style) (苦瓜炒蛋, Fu2 Gwaa1 Caau2 Daan6)

This recipe was updated on 04 Oct 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

Bitter melon, for those who are not familiar with this vegetable, tastes exactly as it’s named and could be considered an acquired taste. I happen to like bitter melon and you can easily moderate the bitterness of the melon to your taste. If you just remove the seeds and pith from the center of the bitter melon and cook it, the bitterness will depend upon the vegetable’s age and could be rather strong. Some people like their bitter melon this way (try it this way with pork spareribs).

Salting and then washing the sliced bitter melon turns out to be the easiest and fastest way to remove any excess bitterness. If the bitter melon is slightly wet, the salt does a better job. I just use wet hands to mix the bitter melon slices and salt together, and that seems to do the trick. You only need 5 minutes to reduce the bitterness. The bitterness will diminish further the longer you leave the salt on the bitter melon, and is mostly removed after 10 minutes. For me, that defeats the purpose of eating this vegetable, and you’re probably losing the nutrients and health benefits. I can see how getting rid of the bitterness is a way to get your kids to eat this vegetable. You can get them acclimated to the taste and then ramp up the bitterness over time! Another method to reduce bitterness involves blanching the bitter melon before stir frying, but you need another pot and boiled water. The texture of the bitter melon will also be different if you use the blanching method.

The Eggs with Bitter Melon (Pancake Style) (苦瓜炒蛋, Fu² Gwaa¹ Caau² Daan⁶) recipe is another version of this dish, where you make an egg pancake with the bitter melon. The preparation is the same, but the cooking method differs.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

6	6	Eggs (雞蛋, gai1 daan6)
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Salt (鹽, jim4)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1	1	Small-sized bitter melon (苦瓜, fu2 gwaa1), halved and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Salt (鹽, jim4)
		Oil for cooking

Sauce Ingredients

Lee Kum Kee brand Premium Oyster Sauce (蠔油, hou4 jau4) or equivalent, as a topping (optional)

Equipment

14 in.

35.5 cm.

Wok or pan

Bitter Melon Halved

Instructions

1. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking. Crack and scramble the eggs in a bowl with the ground white pepper, salt (optional), and sesame oil. Depending upon the size of the bitter melon, fewer or more eggs may be needed.
2. Wash and cut the bitter melon in half. Using a spoon, remove and discard the pith and seeds from each bitter melon half. Cut ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces from each bitter melon half. Wet the bitter melon pieces and add salt for 5 minutes to remove any excess bitterness. Wash the salt from the bitter melon. The amount of bitterness removed by the salt is proportional 

   

   Bitter Melon Cleaned

   to the time before washing from the bitter melon. If you like more bitterness, the salt can be omitted altogether or the time reduced. If you like less bitterness, the time can be increased (after 10 minutes, most of the bitterness will be removed).
3. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil. Add the bitter melon to the wok and stir fry until the bitter melon until tender.
4. Add the scrambled egg mixture to the bitter melon. Move the mixture around to prevent a skin from forming on the eggs and also to incorporate the bitter melon into the eggs. The dish is done when the eggs are fluffy and still look a little wet, but are not totally dry. Turn off the heat and immediately remove the cooked ingredients 

   

   Bitter Melon Cut

   to the serving dish. Optionally top with Lee Kum Kee brand Premium Oyster Sauce or equivalent.