A happy Sunday from Thailand, everyone! 🤗💞 It's an exceptionally bright day here today, after three consecutive days of rain. But whether it's rainy or sunny, I still have my daily routine to follow, which is cooking in the kitchen.
For today, I have a dish that I use to train my children to start eating bitter-tasting vegetables.
Bitter Melon Stir-fried with Eggs and Shrimp , I've tried making this dish many times before. It seems my children, especially my daughter, are starting to like it more. The first time I made it, the bitterness of the melon was still too strong. So, I researched how to reduce its bitterness and found this method.
If you're interested in making this dish, try my recipe. I guarantee it's delicious and won't disappoint.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup bitter melon
- 5-6 fresh shrimp
- 2 eggs
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Vegetable oil for stir-frying
PREPARING INGREDIENTS
These are the four main things I prepare first: bitter melon, shrimp, garlic, and eggs.
The shrimps. Today, I'll leave the tails on. From what I've read, the tails, when heated, release a unique fragrant aroma specific to shrimp, making any shrimp dish more aromatic and appetizing.
For the garlic, peel the cloves, wash them clean, pat them dry, and then chop them coarsely.
Crack the two eggs into a bowl and set them aside.
This one cup of bitter melon is half a fruit. Here is my method to reduce the bitterness significantly: I cut it lengthwise, use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and the white pith, then slice it into thin pieces. After rinsing them, I soak the slices in salt water for about 10 minutes, then blanch them in boiling water. Scoop them out into cold water, and then set them aside to drain.
COOKING TIME
Now it's time to prepare the pan. Place it on the stove, add vegetable oil, and turn the heat to medium. Add the coarsely chopped garlic and stir-fry until fragrant.
Add the fresh shrimp and stir-fry just until they change color, then remove them and set aside.
Beat the prepared eggs in the bowl until combined. Pour them into the wok, let them set for a moment, then use a spatula to scramble them into pieces.
Add the prepared bitter melon and stir-fry gently to combine.
Add the set-aside shrimp and stir-fry to mix everything together.
Season with oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and seasoning powder. Stir-fry until everything is well combined, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
The sweetness and saltiness can be adjusted to your preference. Once done, turn off the heat, dish it out, and it's ready to serve. It's best enjoyed hot with a side of steamed rice or rice porridge.
Preparing the bitter melon by blanching and soaking it in salt water reduces the bitterness to just a hint, making it easy to eat even for those who don't usually like bitter flavors. This slight bitterness then contrasts beautifully with the natural sweetness of the shrimp and the rich, savory flavor of the eggs, creating a perfectly delicious and balanced taste.
When you eat it, you get a wonderful variety of textures in a single bite: the slight crunch of the bitter melon, the tender, juicy succulence of the shrimp (which I only stir-fry until just cooked), and the soft, fluffy texture of the eggs.
You should give it a try! It's very easy to make, isn't it? It's a truly beneficial dish, perfect for starting to train children, or even ourselves, to eat vegetables with more unique flavors.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by. I hope all of this content has been useful and provides some guidance for your cooking. See you again next time...Bye 😃