Pan Fried Bitter Melon

Earlier, I shared my aunt's recipe of bitter gourd with ribs and bean sauce.

http://hakkafood.blogspot.com/2009/01/aunties-special-bitter-gourd.html

Here is another recipe for those who prefer crunchy rather than soft bitter melon, stir frying would yield the desired results. It takes a shorter time to cook this dish that is refreshing especially in summer time.

• Soak bitter melon slices in salt water for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain.
• Dry fry bittermelon in medium heat till slightly dry. Push to the side of the pan or dish up.
• Caramelise brown sugar. Add a little oil and fry chopped garlic.
• Return bitter melon to the centre of the heat.
• Add prawn or chicken slices and fry till cooked.
  The texture of the melon should be a little crunchy.

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Auntie's special bitter gourd

It is believed that the ability to savour bittergourd builds up one's tenacity to overcome difficulties. Perhaps that's one reason why the legendary hardy Hakkas has made this dish their staple diet.

I had the privilege of observing my 84 year old aunt prepare her famous bittergourd dish when she was in town last year. The secret to getting rid of the tart and bitter taste of bittergourd is to marinate deseeded and sliced vegetable in a little salt for 10 minutes and then rinse it off.

Pan fry the sliced bittergourd without any oil and add a little sugar while stirring the vegetable. When partially cooked, push the bittergourd to the side of the pan. Fry garlic in oil till fragrant.

Prepare a separate stew pot. Pork ribs should either be seared or run through hot water to remove any unpleasant taste before putting into the stew pot. Add fried bitergourd and prawn that has been marinated in pepper and a little sugar before adding to the stew about 10 minutes before turning off the heat.