Recipe: Stir-fried bitter melon and egg (kho qua xao trung)
Bitter melon is another thing that you either love or hate. Among my friends and relatives who have tried bitter melon, 42 percent(*) find it too bitter to try a second time. My mom is a special case. She used to shun it, then little me got a bad fever and had to eat it to help lowering my temperature (bitter melon has medicinal effects), mom was so worried that I wouldn’t eat it (like every toddler, I didn’t like food), but I chowed it down at first try, mom got curious, tried and started liking it too. That’s the story she told me, but I think she started liking it because she started making it, and everything she makes tastes great.
Even in the Bay Area, bitter melon is somewhat rare and expensive. The only restaurant I know of that has bitter melon is China Village on Solano, and a plate costs 10.95 with 70% egg and 30% bitter melon. Sushi California used to have it as an Okinawan specialty but had to cut it due to low demand. 🙁 Chinese and Vietnamese markets have them, but they can be far. Thankfully, today Berkeley Bowl has a small box of maybe 40 counts, so I grabbed a few.
Stir-fried bitter melon with eggs (in Vietnamese: Khổ qua xào trứng)
INGREDIENTS (8 servings):
– 5 bitter melons (less green ones with fat stripes, i.e., the East Asian variety, are much less bitter than the skinny ridged subcontinent counterpart)
– 5 eggs (or however many you like)
– 12 cloves of garlic (I just happen to like garlic a lot)
– Salt
– 1/3 cups of olive oil
PREPARATION:
– Wash the bitter melons, cut off both ends of each fruit.
– Cut each fruit length-wise in half.
– Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds (along with the fluffy white part). Redder seeds mean riper and less bitter melons. The red film outside the seeds are edible (I’ve eaten them while prepping the melons), but their mildly sweet taste is not much to talk to about.
– Slice each half into crescents of ~ 3-4 mm (1/8 inch) thick
– Soak the slices in water (with a bit of salt) for ~ 30 minutes to partially remove the bitterness.
– Peel and slice garlic, set aside.
COOKING:
– Put oil in a skillet, medium heat, wait for oil to get hot and throw in the garlic to brown.
– Drain and add the bitter melon into the skillet.
– Lightly mix so that the melon slices at the bottom don’t just sit in oil while the top ones hang out.
– Cover and cook for ~ 5 minutes.
– Uncover, stir.
– Add 5 eggs as you would make scramble eggs.
– Scramble the eggs with the melons until the eggs are fully cooked.
– Sprinkle salt to taste.
For colors, add pizza. 😉
Foodnote:
(*) This is not a fabricated statistics. I counted 12 people (excluding me) who have tried it and given me confirmed opinions on bitter melon. Five of them grimaced when the word was mentioned. If you’ve tried it and decided to be on either side, let me know so I can update my statistics.
(**) Total cost: bitter melons: 2.06 lb x $2.59/lb = $5.34; box of 12 cage-free large eggs: $3.19; prep time + waiting time: 40 minutes; cook time: 10 minutes; cleaning time: 10 minutes.
Merely wanna remark on few general things, The website layout is perfect, the subject material is very superb. “Some for renown, on scraps of learning dote, And think they grow immortal as they quote.” by Edward Young.
1Plain-language intro on what is paraswap — DEX aggregator that splits orders across multiple liquidity venues — clean answer to what is paraswap in a single paragraph.
2Having read this I thought it was very informative. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself spending way to much time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!
3Howdy! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog. Is it very hard to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Cheers
4But a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw outstanding style and design.
5try rhino bridge crypto
6It’s in reality a nice and useful piece of information. I am glad that you simply shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
7best crypto bridge imo
8I was very pleased to find this web-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.
9I just couldn’t depart your web site prior to suggesting that I extremely enjoyed the standard info a person provide for your visitors? Is going to be back often in order to check up on new posts
10I was reading some of your content on this site and I believe this web site is really instructive! Continue putting up.
11Great line up. We will be linking to this great article on our site. Keep up the good writing.
12Howdy, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam comments? If so how do you reduce it, any plugin or anything you can advise? I get so much lately it’s driving me crazy so any help is very much appreciated.
13Hey, you used to write fantastic, but the last several posts have been kinda boring… I miss your tremendous writings. Past several posts are just a little out of track! come on!
14Really nice pattern and wonderful articles, absolutely nothing else we want :D.
15An interesting discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers
16What’s Going down i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It absolutely helpful and it has aided me out loads. I’m hoping to give a contribution & help other customers like its aided me. Great job.
17Good day! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having difficulty finding one? Thanks a lot!
18I like this post, enjoyed this one thankyou for putting up.
19Pretty component to content. I just stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to say that I get actually enjoyed account your weblog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing in your feeds or even I success you access consistently fast.
20nice multichain bridge
21try paraswap.biz
22best fantom dex
23cool tornado cash zk
24cool nft exit
25fast polygon bridge USDC
26Deference to op, some wonderful entropy.
27you are really a good webmaster. The site loading speed is amazing. It seems that you are doing any unique trick. Also, The contents are masterwork. you’ve done a wonderful job on this topic!
28Wow! This can be one particular of the most useful blogs We’ve ever arrive across on this subject. Actually Magnificent. I am also a specialist in this topic so I can understand your effort.
29Great post. I am facing a couple of these problems.
30Wow, wonderful blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is wonderful, as well as the content!
31Nice blog here! Also your site loads up fast! What web host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
32You actually make it appear so easy along with your presentation but I to find this topic to be actually one thing which I think I might never understand. It seems too complicated and extremely extensive for me. I’m taking a look forward on your subsequent publish, I’ll try to get the hold of it!
33Aavant produces the best photography, event and theatre backdrops in the world and works for almost all the biggest players in the world. Being in backdrops industry for last two decades it is the largest player in the world, providing highest quality backdrops to every buyer from USA to Australia.
34Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in reality was once a entertainment account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! By the way, how can we keep up a correspondence?
35Valuable information. Lucky me I found your site by accident, and I’m shocked why this accident didn’t happened earlier! I bookmarked it.
36fast USDC to DAI
37nice stablecoin swap
38TURMERIC TRICK
39TURMERIC TRICK FOR MEN
40I think this site holds some real wonderful information for everyone :D. “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
41Wow that was odd. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say superb blog!
42This is the precise blog for anybody who wants to seek out out about this topic. You realize so much its virtually exhausting to argue with you (not that I really would want…HaHa). You undoubtedly put a brand new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Nice stuff, just great!
43I am often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your site and keep checking for new information.
44It’s really a great and useful piece of information. I’m glad that you shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
45Whats Happening i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve discovered It positively useful and it has helped me out loads. I hope to give a contribution & help different users like its aided me. Great job.
46Those are yours alright! . We at least need to get these people stealing images to start blogging! They probably just did a image search and grabbed them. They look good though!
47