Indo-Chinese Bitter Melon and Egg Stir Fry

I'm a big fan of bitter melon? Can you tell? It's an acquired taste, but it's really good for you. Bitter melon is high in Vitamins A and C. There are 2 types of bitter melon - Chinese and Indian. I'm more familiar with the bitter melon from India which is called Karela. Karela is more narrow and has jagged spikes on the rind and pointed ends. 

On the other hand, the Chinese variety is long, pale green, and covered in bumps. The Chinese bitter melon pictured below was grown in my container garden. 

Homegrown Chinese Bitter Melon

I didn't know about the Chinese bitter melon until my mother-in-law gave me a few of them from her garden. She has a magic thumb when it comes to growing vegetables. Check out my Instagram post to see how big hers are compared to mine. I'm so jealous. 

We recently went over to my in-law's place for dinner and my mother-in-law served this Chinese dish made with bitter melon and eggs. Typically she stir-fries the bitter melon with meat. I think she made it with eggs because she knew I was coming.  I liked it so much that I decided to re-create it at home with Indian flare. Check out my recipe below and let me know if you try it. 

Ingredients

• About 11.5 oz Chinese bitter melon (remove seeds, slice, and chop into 1" pieces)
• 1-2 tsp Dry Garlic Chutney (depending on your spice level)
• 2 eggs, whisked and seasoned with salt and pepper
• Salt as per taste
• Crushed black pepper, as per taste
• 1.5 Tbsp. Vegetable oil for frying
• Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Procedure

1) Heat oil in a medium-sized sauté pan, and when you feel the heat on your palm, add the bitter melon and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover and cook on low-medium heat for about 10 minutes.

2) Remove the lid and test by breaking a piece with the spatula. If it breaks, the melon is cooked. If it doesn't, cook for another 5 minutes. Adjust the heat to make sure you don't burn the vegetable.  (Note: once the bitter melon is cooked, it will turn dull green. 

3) Once the bitter melon is cooked, remove it from the pan and aside in a bowl. Add half a tablespoon of oil to the hot pan and then add the whisked eggs. Keep mixing the eggs, until they become scrambled and lightly toasted. 

4) Next add the cooked bitter melon back to the pan. Add the dry garlic chutney powder and mix well.  Taste and adjust salt. Garnish with fresh cilantro. 

 The Bitter melon and egg stir fry is ready to be served and enjoyed with quinoa, rice, or roti.  

If you like Chinese bitter melon as much as I do check out the recipes below:

Chinese Bitter melon and potato stir fry, Chinese Bitter melon Chutney

And if you crave more bitter vegetables, check out the Indian bitter melon recipes below:

Creamy Tofu and Karela Curry, Karela Curry, Stuffed and Stir Fried Karela

Chinese Bitter Melon and Potato Stir Fry

Be honest. Have heard of bitter melon (Chinese) before? If yes, how many of you like bitter melon? 

We love it! It's healthy and good for you. We also find it less bitter than the Indian bitter melon (or karela).  

There are so many ways to enjoy bitter gourd; you can stir fry it, stuff it, or even make a chutney with it. How do you enjoy bitter melon?  

I didn't know there were different types of bitter melon until my mother-in-law gave me a tour of her garden. She has the magic touch and patience to grow them.

I tried growing them this year, but mine only grew to the size of a potato. While hers can grow up to 8 or 9 inches in length. 

I'm still a novice, but I'll get there someday. For now, I get all my bitter gourds from her and make yummy dishes. Don't forget to check out the Bitter Melon and Potato Stir Fry recipe below:

Ingredients

• 1 large Chinese bitter melon 
• 1 small potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2" slices
• 1 small to medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 tsp dry garlic chutney
• salt (as per your taste)
• Fresh cilantro/coriander (optional), chopped (for garnish)

Preparation

1) Chop the bitter melon once lengthwise and then into 1/4" thick slices (as shown below).

Place the bitter gourd pieces in a bowl, sprinkle a little bit of salt and water over them, and microwave for 2 minutes. 

2) Heat oil (on medium flame) in a medium saucepan and add onion and potato. Sprinkle a little bit of salt and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. 

3) Then, add bitter melon, and cover with a lid. (Note: Add more oil if necessary; to prevent the mixture from burning). Stir every few minutes until onions, potatoes, and bitter melon are caramelized for about 8 to 10 minutes. Next, add dry garlic chutney powder and continue to stir fry for another 3 to 4 minutes. 

4) Switch off the heat and add fresh cilantro/coriander. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Quick Tips

- We like using dry garlic chutney in our curries (i.e. Stuffed Eggplant) to make them spicy. I also like sprinkling it over avocado toast. It gives it a little kick, just the way I like it. This product is also available on Amazon*. Click on the image for the link. 

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Mushroom and Bell Pepper Schezwan Stir Fry

Inspiration can come to you at any given time...when you're dining at your favorite restaurant and you get a whiff of the dish that's passing by. 

When you are roasting a blend of spices and the aroma of these spices hits your nose just right and you think of your next dish.

It can also happen when you open your fridge and see the ingredients laid out in front you. I'm pretty sure the last one is what inspired my mom to make I will be talking about today. 

My mom likes Indo- Chinese cuisine; some dishes that she likes are Cauliflower Manchurian, Chili Paneer, and Szechuan noodles with vegetable stir fry. There are restaurants in my hometown that specialize in this cuisine but we can't go there all the time. Whenever we like a dish, we try to re-create it at home.

She likes the idea of vegetable tempura where the vegetables are lightly battered and fried. You can still taste the vegetable inside and it's crispy. She also likes the various sauces in Chinese cuisine that are spicy and salty. However, these sauces aren't always made with vegetarian ingredients. That's when she discovered Ching's Secret products. Ching's Secret is an Indian brand of Indian Chinese cuisine with a product portfolio which includes instant noodles, instant soups, Desi Chinese masala, sauces and Schezwan chutney.

With vegetables: white button mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions...and the Ching's Secret Schezwan sauce in hand, she sprang into action to create something yummy.

Ingredients
- 8 oz white button mushrooms (large size), sliced
- 2 medium green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1" cubes
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1" cubes
- 2-1/2 to 3 Tbsp Ching's Schezwan sauce
- Approximately 1/2 cup of vegetable oil*, for frying 
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour* (add a pinch of salt to the all-purpose flour and mix it with some water to make a sauce like consistency for the batter)


Procedure

1) Toss the sliced mushroomed into the flour mixture or batter.

Heat oil in a saucepan on high to low medium flame and add the flour coated mushrooms into the oil, ensuring they lay flat in small batches.

2) Fry them for 5 minutes turning them over intermittently. When the mushrooms turn slightly brown, remove them from the oil and set aside. *Helpful hint: Let the mushrooms cool in a bowl covered with paper towel so it can absorb the excess oil.

Then, add handful of bell pepper pieces in the remaining batter and fry them too. Transfer the fried pieces into the bowl as well. 

Next, add the remaining bell pepper and onion into the oil and fry them lightly on medium to high heat. When they start to brown lightly, remove them and add them to the bowl with the other fried vegetables. 

3) Transfer the remaining oil and bring back the pan to the stove with medium heat and add all the vegetables, the Szechuan sauce and two pinches of salt. Mix well and stir fry with sauce for 3 to 4 minutes.

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4) Transfer into a serving dish and garnish with chopped scallions. This dish can be served as an appetizer or as a main dish with brown rice. 

We love re-creating dishes we tried when we go out for dinner. We can add our own little touch to them. We are so fortunate to have brands like Ching's Secret that make it easy for us to experiment with new cuisine.


*Quick Tips: 

• A low calorie and gluten free version of this recipe can be done by skipping the tempura frying with all-purpose flour. Quickly stir fry the veggies in 3 tablespoons of oil on high heat with a pinch of salt and toss them further with the Schezwan sauce.
• Not all of the oil is consumed in the final recipe