Blanching does two jobs here. Three minutes in water with a spoon of oil and a spoon of salt softens the gourd's bite and keeps it green, and the ice-cold rinse right after stops it cooking further. The eggs are fried only until they set, so they stay soft when they go back into the pan, and the whole stir-fry takes just two more minutes over high heat.
Chinese · Main
Bitter Gourd Stir Fried With Eggs and Garlic
Thin-sliced bitter gourd blanches for three minutes in salted, oiled water, then hits the pan with just-set fried eggs, garlic and a spoon of sesame oil for a two-minute finish.
- Prep15 min
- Cook10 min
- Serves3
- LevelEasy
Ingredients
| 1 | bitter gourd , halved, seeded and sliced thin |
| 4 | eggs , beaten |
| 1 stalk | scallion , chopped |
| 3 cloves | garlic , sliced |
| 1 tbsp | sesame oil |
| 1 tsp | chicken bouillon powder |
| to taste | salt |
| 1 tbsp | cooking oil , plus more for the pan |
| 1 tbsp | salt , for the blanching water |
| 1 tbsp | cooking oil , for the blanching water |
Method
- Halve the gourd lengthways, scrape out the seeds and pith, and slice it thin.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add one spoon each of oil and salt; this keeps the gourd green.
- Blanch the slices for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse them under cold water immediately.
- Fry the beaten eggs in hot oil only until they just set, then break them into large curds and remove.
- Drain the gourd well.
- Heat oil in the pan and fry the garlic slices until fragrant.
- Add the gourd, then the eggs, season with salt and the bouillon, and stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes.
- Scatter the scallion, pour the sesame oil down the side of the pan, give it one more minute over low heat and serve.
Notes
- Salt in the blanching water counts toward the dish, so taste before adding more at the pan.
- Do not brown the eggs. They finish in the pan later and turn rubbery if fried hard first.
Ratios and technique checked against 大菜炒不来 on Douguo (苦瓜炒蛋). The method here is written by Stellaok; the photograph is the source kitchen's, credited on the image above and linked back to the page it came from. No recipe text is reproduced.