Who loves bitter gourd anyway?

There are only a few number of people who eats bitter gourd, because of it’s bitterness. Even the natives of Asia and Africa, not all of them eats this bitter vegetable. But do you know that bitter gourd has an excellent medicinal virtues. Yes, bitter gourd or sometimes called bitter melon, is antidotal, antipyretic tonic, appetizing, stomachic, laxative, and more.

It is recommended for people who have diabetes because in the recent research, bitter gourd contains hypoglycaemic or insulin-like principle (plant-insulin), which has been found highly beneficial in lowering the blood and urine sugar levels.

In the Philippines, we eat bitter gourd in a variety of ways. This one is one of the best bitter gourd recipe. The beef neutralizes the bitter taste of this vegetable.

My hubby likes bitter gourd, so since it was still in season, I thought of cooking it and sharing it here on my blog. I hope you try this, it’s really healthy.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb beef sirloin, sliced into thin strips
1 large bitter gourd (ampalaya); cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 small thumb ginger, julienned
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup water or more if necessary
5 tablespoons cooking oil

Procedure:
1. Combine beef, soy sauce, salt, ground black pepper, cornstarch, and sesame oil. Mix all the ingredients until evenly distributed and marinade for at least 1 hour.
2. Heat a frying pan or wok and pour-in 3 tablespoons of cooking oil.
3. When the oil is hot enough, pan fry the marinated beef in medium heat until the outer part turns medium to dark brown (about 3 to 5 minutes per side).
4. Add water and simmer until the beef is tender.
5. Heat a separate pan or cooking pot then pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons of cooking oil.
6. When the oil is hot enough, sauté the garlic, onion, and ginger.
7. Add the sliced bitter gourd and stir fry for 5 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat and transfer to the pan with the tender beef. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.
9. Transfer to a serving plate then serve.

Share and enjoy with family and friends!!!
Source: Panlasang Pinoy