Recipe | Ampalaya (Bitter Melon) Con Carne

Saturday, August 4, 2018



Please let me warn you first -- if you have not had bitter melon before, it is definitely bitter.  I was a finicky eater when I was a child so I am not sure if I ate this as a kid in the Philippines. I know that my mom cooked this a lot when I was growing up.  When I moved to the US, I started missing and  eating the foods that I despised as a kid in the Philippines including ampalaya or bitter melon. I think homesickness does that to you.

Bitter melon is definitely an acquired taste, unless you have a very eclectic and brave palate. It is supposed to have a lot of nutritional value. The few times that I ate this in the US were either when my mom was visiting and cooked it for me, or at a Filipino restaurant.

My aunt's boyfriend harvested bitter melons from his urban garden and shared his harvest including zucchinis, bellpepper, peppers and tomatoes with us.  My sister in law cannot stand bitter melons. I ended up taking them all  home with me.


I could not bear for them to go to waste. It is also my goal to cook new recipes every year. I am proud that I can check that off my 2018 Mason Jar List. It was very easy to cook this and also a very forgiving recipe. Ampalaya Con Carne (or just with eggs without meat) is a traditional Filipino dish. It is  often cooked  with beaten eggs as my mom has instructed me to make. This is how I cooked mine:


AMPALAYA CON CARNE WITH EGGS 

(BITTER MELONS WITH BEEF AND EGGS)


I N G R E D I E N T S

  • *2 bitter melons, sliced into half-moon sizes
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 3-4 garlic, minced
  • 2 tomatoes, cup into quarters
  • 1/4 lb ground beef
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • Oil for sauteeing
  • Soy sauce or fish sauce (optional/to taste)
  • Sesame oil (optional/to taste)
I N S T R U C T I O N S

1. Saute the onions in oil. (I often use EVOO in my cooking but you can use vegetable or canola oil). Set aside.
2. Saute the garlic. Set aside.
3. Brown the ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Saute the bitter melon and tomatoes until the tomatoes are soft and the bitter melon turns translucent. (About 3-4 minutes).
5. Mix everything together in the pan. Add about 1/8 cup water. Bring to simmer.
6. Add soy sauce, fish sauce and/or sesame oil. (I limit sodium in my cooking so I did not add any. It was still very flavorful.)
7. Mix in the lightly-beaten eggs to the pan. Wait for it to set softy then stir.
8. Enjoy with rice!

 T I P S

  • I read that young bitter melons are less bitter. Lucky for me, those were what I had. They were not very bitter at all but had that nice slightly bitter taste to it but not empowering. 
  • Salting the sliced bitter melons in advance for 5 minutes is recommended. I did it to mine then just rinsed it out before sauteing. Whether it took away the bitterness or not, it seasoned the bitter melons nicely.



I am so proud of my little kitchen creation. I enjoyed it for lunch at work the next day. I will definitely make this again!

CHECK THIS OUT ON PINTEREST


Post a Comment