A blog of food and life in Silicon Valley.
If you have ever had a sandwich from an Asian bakery or travelled to a country like Japan/Korea/Taiwan, and wondered why it tasted so sweet and different from American sandwiches, it’s the bread! Asian Milk bread/Hokkaido milk bread/Shokupan/Tangzhong bread is noticeably sweeter, delicate, and fluffier …
Hong Kong Chow Mein is an easy, quick, and delicious dish that I make often since my picky kids love it. I used to order this at family dim sum gatherings all the time and I never understood why my in-laws would repeatedly ask me, …
Right now my bitter melon (ku gua, 苦瓜) plant is bursting with flowers and slowly giving me fruits throughout the week. Time to make stir fried bitter melon! I don’t live on an acre of land or a farm, just a regular house in Silicon Valley so my garden is small hence why my ku guas are petite (how to grow bitter melon).
When I have such fresh produce I like to preserve the original taste and texture by cooking it in the least fancy way possible. I have seen recipes for bitter melon that include braising, making a soup, and blanching it in salt water before stir frying. But being the Type B person that I am and having such fresh ku guas, I decided to cook it in a simple way with scrambled eggs.
Although this dish comes off as simple and humble, it bursts in texture and taste. The scrambled eggs give the bitter melon a creamy and rich flavor, garlic and a dash a sugar balances the bitter taste, and the seasonings bring out the umami. My hubby only wants me to cook it in this way and he’s wishing our plant will produce 2 fruits a day! I think that’s a fat chance with only 1 plant but I’m hoping next year we will have more luck.
Ingredients
Cut the melons cross-wise and scoop out all the seeds. I want to do an experiment so next year so I’m drying and saving my seeds for next year!
Slice the melons like half-moons 🌙 and chop the garlic. You can pre-measure and put each seasoning in a dish or keep your sauces next to the stove and pour each ingredient as your cooking all chaotically like me.
You can beat your eggs in a bowl OR you can save washing a dish and crack the eggs in the wok.
Heat the oil on medium-high heat. I use avocado oil since it has a high smoke point and has a neutral taste. When the oil is glossy, throw in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the bitter melon and stir fry for 1 min. Add 1/2 tsp sugar and mix. (TIP: Adding sugar before wet seasonings add a delicious caramelized flavor to stir-fry dishes).
Push melon to side of wok and add eggs. Scramble the eggs with the bitter melon and add soy sauce and Shio Koji (if using, or other substitutions). Stir-fry everything for 30 seconds.
