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.
My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find nearly all of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for. Does one offer guest writers to write content for you? I wouldn’t mind writing a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects you write regarding here. Again, awesome website!
1Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your web site is magnificent, let alone the content!
2Pretty! This was a really wonderful post. Thank you for your provided information.
3Thanks for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do some research about this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I am very glad to see such fantastic info being shared freely out there.
4Hi! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing many months of hard work due to no backup. Do you have any solutions to prevent hackers?
5There are definitely a whole lot of particulars like that to take into consideration. That may be a great level to deliver up. I offer the ideas above as basic inspiration but clearly there are questions just like the one you deliver up the place a very powerful thing will likely be working in trustworthy good faith. I don?t know if finest practices have emerged round things like that, but I’m certain that your job is clearly identified as a fair game. Each boys and girls really feel the impression of only a moment’s pleasure, for the remainder of their lives.
6Keep up the wonderful piece of work, I read few articles on this internet site and I conceive that your weblog is rattling interesting and contains circles of great information.
7Glad to be one of the visitants on this awing internet site : D.
8Some genuinely prime content on this site, saved to fav.
9very good publish, i actually love this web site, keep on it
10Thanks for another informative website. Where else could I get that kind of information written in such a perfect manner? I have a venture that I’m simply now operating on, and I’ve been on the look out for such information.
11I not to mention my pals have already been reading the good procedures found on the website while instantly I got a terrible feeling I had not thanked the site owner for those secrets. Most of the women were definitely so joyful to see them and have now honestly been taking pleasure in those things. Many thanks for really being quite helpful and then for figuring out this kind of essential areas millions of individuals are really desirous to be aware of. Our own sincere regret for not saying thanks to you earlier.
12Nice read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch since I found it for him smile Therefore let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch! “The guy with the biggest stomach will be the first to take off his shirt at a baseball game.” by Glenn Dickey.
13I’m curious to find out what blog system you happen to be utilizing? I’m experiencing some minor security problems with my latest blog and I would like to find something more secure. Do you have any recommendations?
14Very interesting information!Perfect just what I was searching for! “All the really good ideas I ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.” by Grant Wood.
15I would like to convey my passion for your kindness giving support to individuals who need assistance with this particular question. Your special dedication to getting the solution along had been especially effective and has in every case helped employees like me to attain their goals. Your own valuable advice implies a great deal to me and somewhat more to my office workers. Best wishes; from all of us.
16When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove people from that service? Many thanks!
17Good info. Lucky me I reach on your website by accident, I bookmarked it.
18A formidable share, I simply given this onto a colleague who was doing a bit of analysis on this. And he in actual fact bought me breakfast as a result of I discovered it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! However yeah Thnkx for spending the time to debate this, I feel strongly about it and love studying more on this topic. If doable, as you develop into expertise, would you mind updating your weblog with more particulars? It’s highly useful for me. Big thumb up for this blog post!
19Some truly interesting details you have written.Helped me a lot, just what I was searching for :D.
20Someone essentially help to make seriously articles I would state. This is the very first time I frequented your web page and thus far? I amazed with the research you made to create this particular publish amazing. Fantastic job!
21This actually answered my downside, thanks!
22Hello.This post was really motivating, especially since I was investigating for thoughts on this issue last Wednesday.
23Someone necessarily lend a hand to make seriously articles I would state. This is the first time I frequented your web page and up to now? I surprised with the research you made to create this particular put up amazing. Fantastic process!
24Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to safeguard against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any recommendations?
25I was wondering if you ever considered changing the layout of your website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 images. Maybe you could space it out better?
26Hey very nice site!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your web site and take the feeds also…I’m happy to find numerous useful information here in the post, we need work out more strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
27