Stir-Fried Bittermelon + Eggs | Recipe

Any time my dad comes to visit and sees bitter melon at the grocery store, he has to buy it. It’s almost a reflex at this point. And while parents (especially Asian parents I think lol) always tout certain produce or actions to promote healthiness or various body functions, bitter melons are actually an incredible food.

It has a ton of important nutrients, vitamin C, A, potassium, zinc and iron.
It can help reduce blood sugar— very helpful for people who are pre-diabetic or diabetic!
It may have cancer fighting properties (!!) I didn’t even know fruit could do this.
It could decrease cholesterol levels.
It may aid in weight loss for those looking to add a low calorie, high fiber ingredient into their routine.

Truly a super fruit. My dad also says the more bitter, the more healthy it is for you, which I am not sure that part is true. It’s also not the easiest to eat it bitter, so this recipe takes most of the bitterness out of the fruit. You can enjoy a super food stir-fry with all of the health benefits my dad gets excited about without that bitter taste in your mouth. 😉

What’s in it

2 bitter melons
4-5 eggs
salt + pepper to taste
sesame oil
pinch of sugar
1/2 tbsp neutral oil
optional: 3-4 thai bird chilis, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, sliced

How to do it

Rinse the bitter melons off and then cut off the ends of each side. Cut them in half and remove the seeds + interior of the bitter melon. Rinse once again.
Chop up the bitter melon at a slight angle into thin-medium pieces and add to a bowl.
Generously salt and set aside for 15 minutes. Massage and begin to squeeze the juice from the bitter melon out. Dump that bitterness out.
Rinse the bitter melon in cold water and let it sit for 10 minutes, then dump the water out and squeeze the excess water / juice from the bitter melon and set aside on a plate.
optional to salt for another 5 minutes, rinse, drain and squeeze excess water out if you want to remove additional bitterness out.
While your bitter melons are going through osmosis, you can prepare your eggs. Whisk your eggs with salt + pepper in a bowl and set aside.
Add oil to your wok / pan and add your eggs in on medium heat. Gently fold towards the center until they’re cooked just under and remove from the wok to set aside on a plate. You’ll finish cooking them in the stir-fry at the end.
Clean your wok and add oil to it on medium heat, once it’s heated up add your garlic slices in. If you want to add a little spice kick to the dish, add in your thai bird chilis as well here.
Once they’ve started to lightly fry add your bitter melon in, cooking for 1-2 minutes.
Add your eggs back in, gently mixing in without breaking them apart too much. Add a little salt + pepper, sugar, a drizzle of sesame oil to finish and remove from heat.
Serve with white rice + watch those health benefits roll in from this dish!