Bitter melon stir-fried with egg
Thinly sliced bitter melon salted to draw out the bitterness, then tossed with soft scrambled egg — pleasantly bitter, fragrant and cooling, a true everyday classic.
- 21 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-heat types have oily skin and a bitter taste and are prone to spots, and Liqiu's lingering 'autumn tiger' heat and humidity bring irritability and sluggish digestion. Bitter melon clears summer heat and detoxifies and is in season now; egg nourishes yin and softens the bitterness. Quickly fried with little oil and served with brown rice, it's light and easy to digest.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 6 min- 1Halve the bitter melon lengthways, scrape out the seeds and white pith with a spoon and slice thinly on the diagonal. Toss with ½ tsp salt for 10 minutes, squeeze out the bitter juice, rinse and drain.
- 2Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, the soy sauce and the sesame oil.
- 3Heat 1 tbsp oil and fry the garlic until fragrant. Stir-fry the bitter melon over a high heat for 2 minutes until bright green, season with the sugar and a little salt, then lift out.
- 4Heat the remaining oil, pour in the eggs and, once they start to set, return the bitter melon. Fold gently until the egg is just cooked and serve at once with the brown rice.
Cautions
- Bitter melon is bitter and cold, so don't overdo it if your digestion is weak or you get loose stools; pregnant women should avoid eating it in quantity.
Chef's tips
- The white pith is the most bitter part, so scrape it out thoroughly; salting and squeezing the slices takes away about half the bitterness.
The TCM view
Bitter melon is bitter and cold, clearing summer heat, brightening the eyes and detoxifying — the Suixiju Yinshipu says the green fruit 'is bitter and cold, washes away heat, brightens the eyes and clears the heart'. Egg is sweet and neutral, nourishing yin and blood and easing the melon's bitter coldness; garlic is pungent and warm, aiding digestion and tempering the cold. It clears damp-heat without harming the stomach.
