This easy stir fry is one of the most delicious ways to enjoy bitter melon. Bitter melon and scrambled eggs are the two main ingredients. The dish is seasoned with garlic, fish sauce. Simple and flavorful! Eat this with a big bowl of rice, it is onolicious ^_^
Why This Recipe Works
Bitter melon! Next time you're at the supermarket, make sure to pick up a few bitter melons. There are so many great dishes you can make with this amazing vegetable.
Bitter melon might look intimidating, especially with all those lumps and bumps, but they are easy to prepare and super healthy for you.
This dish is like a combo of bitter melon stir fry and scrambled eggs. It comes together quickly, and is enough to be a complete meal when served with a big bowl of hot rice.
Aside from the bitter melon, the rest of the ingredients are common pantry ingredients like eggs, garlic, fish sauce, salt, and pepper. So simple!
If you haven't had this dish before, you're in for a treat. The flavors of the tender, sweet and bitter (yes it is bitter haha) melon go so well with the fluffy, almost creamy eggs. The fish sauce binds it together and who doesn't love garlic? ^_^
Bitter Melon
How do you feel about bitter melon? I love it!
My grandma often made bitter melon soup for us as kids...it was one of my favorite dishes. A big bowl of rice and the hot soup poured on top, ahhh so good! People say bitter melon is an acquired taste. I guess that is kind of true?
Bitter melon does live up to its name. It is bitter. I love that bitterness...I crave that flavor, that bite.
There seem to be many different tips on how to reduce the bitterness of bitter melon. I've heard of quickly blanching the bitter melon in boiling water or salting the bitter melon ahead of time. You can try those, but I don't bother. The bitterness is nice, especially when paired with fluffy eggs and all that garlic and fish sauce. It's a tasty balance of things.
To prepare bitter melon for cooking, just cut it in half lengthwise to remove the pith and seeds. Then you can slice it and start cooking. Very easy.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need:
- Bitter melon
- Garlic cloves, minced
- Eggs
- Fish sauce
- Salt and pepper
Step by Step Directions
Now we get cooking!
Prepare the bitter melon.
Cut off both ends of the bitter melon. Then slice it in half lengthwise. Use a smooth to core out the pith and seeds. Slice the bitter melon into thin (¼ inch) slices. Set aside.
Prepare the eggs.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Cook the bitter melon.
In a large pan over medium-high heat, brown the garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add the sliced bitter melon. Saute for 1 minute. Then add ¼ cup water to the pan. Place a lid on the pan and let it steam/simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Season the bitter melon.
Remove the lid. The water should have mostly evaporated by now. Season the bitter melon with the fish sauce.
Scramble the eggs.
Pour the beaten eggs over the bitter melon. Gently scramble and mix until the eggs are cooked, about 1-2 minutes.
Time to eat.
Slide onto a plate, add a little pepper on top. Eat hot with rice. Enjoy!
FAQs and Tips
It's best enough right after you finish cooking! But if you have leftovers, they'll keep 1-2 days in the refrigerator. Just reheat in the microwave or steamer.
Well you must always eat this with a big bowl of rice! Just this one dish plus a bowl of rice makes the most wonderful easy lunch or dinner...or even breakfast. It is so simple to put together and so rewarding to eat.
If you plan to make this as part of a larger meal, here are a few dishes I like to accompany the bitter melon with eggs:
- Pork Hash
- Udon Stir Fry
- Sardine Pupu
- Gau Gee
- You can also make Yang Chow Fried Rice or Spam Fried Rice in place of plain rice. Just don't forget the rice ^_^
So do we! We use fish sauce (which we call "nuoc mam") in many recipes at home. Here are a few favorites:
- Garlic and Fish Sauce Eggplant
- Stir Fried Lettuce
- Cha Trung (Vietnamese Egg Meatloaf)
- Thit Kho (Vietnamese Braised Pork and Eggs)
- Garlic and Fish Sauce Ong Choy
Bitter Melon With Eggs Stir Fry Recipe
See below and enjoy ^_^
Bitter Melon With Eggs Stir Fry
This easy stir fry is one of the most delicious ways to enjoy bitter melon. Bitter melon and scrambled eggs are the two main ingredients. The dish is seasoned with garlic, fish sauce, salt and pepper. Simple and flavorful! Eat this with a big bowl of rice, it is onolicious ^_^
Ingredients
- 1 bitter melon
- 3-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the bitter melon. Cut off both ends of the bitter melon. Then slice it in half lengthwise. Use a smooth to core out the pith and seeds. Slice the bitter melon into thin (¼ inch) slices. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, brown the garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add the sliced bitter melon. Saute for 1 minute. Then add ¼ cup water to the pan. Place a lid on the pan and let it steam/simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the lid. The water should have mostly evaporated by now. Season the bitter melon with the fish sauce.
- Pour the beaten eggs over the bitter melon. Gently scramble and mix until the eggs are cooked, about 1-2 minutes.
- Slide onto a plate, add a little pepper on top. Eat hot with rice. Enjoy!
Just the recipes I wanted. I have heard of the health benefits of bitter melon and wanted to try it. Thank you.
I love bitter melon too! My haole wife has a very narrow palate when it comes to food, so she doesn't eat many things except "meat and potatoes". But for some strange reason, she like bitter melon too. Our favorite way to eat it is "beef with bitter melon and black bean sauce". But she doesn't like stuffed bitter melon cause she doesn't like pork hash. Go figure??!! LOL. Oh yeah, she like tofu too. So when we go to eat Chinese food, I order a couple of dishes that I want and I order beef/bitter melon, chicken w/tofu and vegetables, and sesame chicken for her.