Bittermelons are a superfood in the Philippines! They’re rich in iron, antioxidants, and vitamin C! They’re also rich in dietary fiber, and they help lower cholesterol and blood sugar so I’d say the bitter taste is worth it! However, the recipe below does weaken the bitterness slightly, try it out!
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs bittermelon
- 7 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 head yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 block firm tofu, cut into 1/2 an inch thick
- 8 oz shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 5 eggs, beaten
- 2 tsp chicken flavor
- 5 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- olive oil
Directions:
- Rinse and cut the bittermelon in half lengthwise.
- Scrape all the white part and seeds inside.
- Sliced thinly and set aside.
- In a heated pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil. Fry the tofu in batches. When you finished frying all the tofu, cut it into cubes. Set aside.
- In the same pan, add 3 tbsp olive oil, and saute the garlic until soft.
- Add the onions and tomatoes. Saute for another 5 minutes.
- Add the tofu, shrimp, chicken flavor, pepper, salt, and bay leaves, and the bittermelon.
- Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Then add the eggs. Stir until combined.
- Simmer for another 10 minutes then turn off the heat.
- Serve while warm. Enjoy!
Note:
Adding tofu to this recipe is a great way to add protein if you don’t eat meat! But if you do prefer meat, you can use pork, chicken breasts or beef.
