Bitter Gourds 苦瓜

Dinner last night was bitter gourd and pork ribs stew. While shopping for groceries at Hay market last Saturday, the Aussie next to me pointed at the bitter melons and asked what exactly they are. He looked kinda amused when I told him what it is. I have to admit bitter gourd is an acquired taste, you either love it or hate it. Needless to say, we are big fans of bitter gourds.

The best bitter gourd dish we had was in Taipei, it was plainly stir-fried with some salted-egg and the bitter gourd was not bitter at all! The natives grow their own bitter gourds on the highlands and they looked quite different from the ones we seen back home.

I have not cooked this dish for nearly a year and it's perfect for cold weather like this. Check out the recipe here. I have added some dark soy sauce this time, and no Shao Xing wine as the wine ran out.

Oh, remember to rub salt all over and inside the bitter gourds before cooking as it helps to reduce the bitterness. I usually repeat the process a few times and let it stand a while before rinsing off the salt.