Ginisang Ampalaya with Egg (Bitter gourd with Egg)

This is my second recipe for bitter gourd or bitter melon or commonly known as Ampalaya. The first one is Beef Ampalaya. And since I have an adoration with this ugly and bitter ampalaya, I can’t stop buying them specially during this season that it is at its cheapest price. Good thing it regularly grows in our country where it is hot and humid. What I love most with bitter gourds is its health benefits. It has twice the calcium of spinach, twice the potassium of banana and very rich in iron and folic acid.

GINISANG AMPALAYA WITH EGG is one of the simple dish to cook ampalaya. I love bitter gourd since I was a kid. Thanks to my mom who introduced me to it. I even wanted the egg lightly cooked. Royce and Colby, my picky-eater boys, start to like ampalaya too. Well, they are getting a lot of used to with the bitter taste but the egg in it lightens that bitter flavor.

And hey, this is my 100th post! Well, what can say?! There will be more food to eat, food to share, food to love and food to hate. Thanks to all my readers!

GINISANG AMPALAYA WITH EGG (Bitter Gourd with Egg)

2 tbsp. cooking oil

1 head garlic, peeled and crushed

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced

2 small tomatoes, quartered

250 grams ground pork

2 bitter melon

2 large eggs

1 tsp. fish sauce (patis)

water

salt

white sugar

white ground pepper

Slice ampalaya lengthwise, scoop out the inner white membrane or the white pulp with your thumb or with a spoon. Slice the ampalaya into thin slices. If you want to lessen the bitter taste, rub the ampalaya slices with rock salt, leave for 10 minutes, and squeeze the water out from the ampalaya. Well, squeezing the water out will also mean that you are squeezing almost all the nutrients of the ampalaya. For me, I wanted eating my ampalaya with all the health benefits I can get from it, so I am not doing the hustle of squeezing. Anyway, set aside the ampalaya after slicing them.

Pour oil in a heated pan. Saute garlic and onion for two minutes.

Add the ground pork. Cook until meat is tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the ampalaya. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Stirring often.

Add about 1/2 cup water. Season with fish sauce, sugar and white ground pepper. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, covered.

Meanwhile, crack eggs in a shallow bowl, beat and season with salt.

Add in the egg, stirring constantly, until eggs coats almost all the ampalaya. Remove from fire. Don’t be anxious if eggs seemed to be uncooked. The extra heat will cook the eggs well.

Serve with tons of white rice.