← Nouns Cooking · Vietnamese

Ingredients

• 2 bitter melons (about 350 g)
• 1 tsp salt, plus a pinch
• 4 Eggs
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• ¼ tsp Black pepper
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1 Spring onion, sliced

Method

1. Halve the bitter melons lengthways, scrape out the seeds and pith and slice thinly. Toss with the salt and leave for 10 min, then rinse and squeeze dry. This softens the bitterness.
2. Beat the eggs with the soy sauce, pepper and spring onion.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat. Fry the garlic for a few seconds, add the bitter melon and stir-fry for 2–3 min until bright green and just tender-crisp.
4. Pour in the eggs and leave for 30 seconds until the edges set, then fold gently for 1–2 minutes until just cooked but still soft. Serve straight away with rice.

Tips

• Fish sauce instead of soy sauce is the classic seasoning, but it makes the dish non-vegetarian. Use tamari to keep it gluten-free.
• Choose firm, pale-green bitter melons; the darker and more knobbly ones are more bitter.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Delightful Plate Wok and Kin Vicky Pham