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Ginisang ampalaya (Filipino bitter gourd with egg)
Bitter gourd sautéed with garlic, onion and tomato and bound with soft egg
Ginisang ampalaya is a weekday ulam in homes from Manila to Iloilo, cooked in one pan and eaten with a mound of white rice; Filipino parents swear by it as the vegetable that 'cleans the blood'. Thin slices of bitter gourd are sautéed with garlic, onion and tomato, then soft scrambled egg softens the bitterness and ties everything together. It is often seasoned with fish sauce or cooked with pork; this vegetarian version uses salt and a pinch of sugar. The common mistake is overcooking the gourd until it turns olive green and even more bitter; it should stay bright and just tender. Chef's tip: salt the slices for 10 minutes and squeeze them gently before cooking to draw out some of the bitterness, without rinsing all the flavour away.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
- 2 bitter gourd (ampalaya)about 400 g, halved, seeds scraped out, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ tsp salt1 tsp for salting, 0.5 tsp to season
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlicchopped
- 1 onionsliced
- 2 tomatoeschopped
- 3 tbsp water
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 eggsbeaten
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Toss 2 bitter gourd (ampalaya) with 1 tsp salt and leave for 10 minutes. Squeeze handfuls gently to press out the bitter juice and discard it.
10 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 3 cloves garlic until pale golden, then add 1 onion and cook for 2 minutes, until soft. Add 2 tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, until they start to collapse.
4 minStep 4: Pour 2 eggs over the vegetables, let them set for 15 seconds, then stir gently for about 1 minute, until the egg is just set into soft curds. Season with ¼ tsp ground black pepper and serve with rice.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ginisang ampalaya (Filipino bitter gourd with egg) take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 12 minutes to prepare and 8 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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