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Bittergourd with egg, fermented black beans and wolfberries

This is a dish which I only learn to eat when I grow older, so I think the saying that bitter gourd being an acquired taste holds so much truth to me. I wonder if it is because as we grow older, we received more hard knocks in life and hence the ability to take more hardship transcends to the taste buds too? (vivid imagination)

Well anyway, bittergourd is good food because it is known to reduce “heatiness” - a really nice attribute for tropical dwellers (like me). Come to think of it, of the 4 sensory tastes “酸甜苦辣” (sour, sweet, bitter, spicy) described by Chinese, I think I will pick 苦 (bitter) over 甜 (sweet) like 60% of the time. I think I have an innate inability to digest a whole slice of sweet cake by myself without starting to feel nauseated, though the first few bites are pleasant. So I guess I just don’t have an overly sweet tooth, huh. Maybe that’s why I am totally oblivious to the donut craze (except finding the donuts real pretty), and I wasn’t gaga over krispy kreme too =P

Bittergourd with egg, fermented black beans and wolfberries (苦瓜炒蛋)

Ingredients
(Serves 2)
150g bittergourd
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp wolfberries
1 tsp fermented black beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic

Directions
1. Cut bittergourd to half (length-wise) and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Slice bittergourd thinly. Note: If you want to reduce the bitterness, you can try rubbing a small amount of salt on the bittergourd and then rinsing off the salt with water.
2. Heat oil in wok and stir fry garlic and fermented black beans till fragrant.
3. Add bittergourd slices and stir fry over high heat for about 2 minutes.
4. Reduce heat, add wolfberries and continue to stir fry. When bittergourd is almost cooked, pour the beaten egg slowly over the bittergourd. Stir till the egg is cooked and dry. Serve.

Adding meat
You can also add some meat to the dish. Simply mix 100g of minced pork, a small pinch of sugar & Chinese pepper, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp light soy sauce in a bowl and leave for about 10 minutes. Add the meat after step 2, and try to break up the meat to small pieces with a frying spatula. You can stir fry till the meat is halfway cooked before adding the bittergourd slices to continue frying.

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Tags: bitter, bittergourd, egg, fermented black beans, gou qizi, Stir Fry, wolfberries

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