Ginisang Ampalaya (Sauteed Bitter Melon)

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Not a lot of people likes ampalaya (bitter gourd/bitter melon). I have to admit that I originally don't eat this vegetable. How did I end up liking it? We have a garden in front of our house and one of the vegetables that was planted was this variety of ampalaya that wasn't bitter. The seeds were just given to us. The fruit was light green in color. I was surprised when my mom cooked it and told us to give it a try. I was skeptical but when I took a bite, it was indeed not bitter at all and that's how I started eating this vegetable that a lot of people dislike. Ampalaya is perfect to be made into a kinilaw, atchara, and even stuff it with meat.

I have noticed that if the skin of the ampalaya is smoother or not too wrinkly, it is less bitter. What I also do, that I have learned from my aunt, is rub the ampalaya slices in salt and then rinse with water before cooking. This helps a lot in lessening the bitterness.

Sauteed bitter melon is a quick and easy dish you can make if you're running late or too tired to cook.  You only need very few ingredients too. Adding pork, egg, and glass noodles is optional. You basically need garlic, onion, ripe tomato, and ampalaya. It is that simple. Here's an easy to follow guide on how to cook ampalaya.



YOU WILL NEED:
Canola oil for sauteeing
1 piece pork belly, sliced about quarter of an inch (optional)
½ cup water, divided
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small onion, sliced
1 red tomato, sliced
1 ampalaya, sliced
2 eggs, beaten (optional)
Salt to taste

HOW TO PREPARE:
  1. Rub your ampalaya slices with salt and rinse with water. Set aside.
  2. Cook pork belly in ¼ cup of water. When it dries up, add some oil and cook the pork belly until golden brown.
  3. In the same pan, sauté the garlic. Add the onion and when it becomes translucent, add the tomato next. Let it become soft then slightly mash the tomato. Add the ampalaya. Add ¼ cup of water and salt to taste. Let it cook for about 3 minutes. Pour the beaten eggs. Stir and let cook for about 1 minute.


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