Bittergourd Omelette Chinese Style (Bittermelon) | BIG Bites MY

Bittergourd Omelette Chinese Style

An occasional taste of bitterness will make us appreciate the sweeter things in life more! The bittergourd omelette is a simple dish to prepare. I like my Asian style omelette to have a crisp golden brown bottom. It tastes so much better. This is really SO EASY LAH with prep time of under 15 minutes! However the sweating part will take some time, otherwise the bittergourd will taste really bitter. The recipe shown here feeds one, just double up accordingly if you are cooking for more. Eating this with a bowl of rice and a bowl of hot soup is so satisfying.

Watch video for step-by-step method of preparation 

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Prep time: 15 minutes + 1 hour (curing time) 

Cooking time: 10 minutes 

Serving: 1 (increase portions accordingly if you are cooking for more)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 medium sized bittergourd
• 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon groundnut oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs

Method:

1. Split bittergourd into halves and scrape off the core and seeds
2. Slice bittergourd (3mm thickness)
3. Rub bittergourd slices with salt. Set aside for at least an hour to let it sweat. (Salt will draw out some of the bitterness when the bittergourd starts sweating).
4. After an hour, the bittergourd have sweated. There will be a puddle of liquid on the plate. Discard. 
5. Soak bittergourd slices for a while to remove the saltiness. Rinse to remove all the salt. Drain and set aside. 
6. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and beat until fluffy
7. Heat a little oil over medium low heat
8. Saute bittergourd for a few minutes until aromatic
9. Add oyster sauce and soy sauce. Stir to combine.
10. Scoop bittergourd into beaten egg. Mix well. 
11. Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan over medium low heat
12. Pour in egg mixture and spread it out evenly
13. Cover the pan so that the top sets quickly. Cook over low heat.
14. When the egg puffs up and pulls away from the sides of the pan, it's ready to be flipped
15. Flip omelette and let the top part cook for a minute just to set it
16. Place a plate over the pan and flip omelette into the plate
17. Ready to be served as it is or you may slice it up any which way you like