This recipe is given to me by a good friend who is an excellent cook. She is one of my line dancing mates. This one falls into the category of quick and easy one dish meal. It goes very well with both porridge and plain white rice. A suitable recipe for working couples who want a one dish meal that is easy and quick to prepare after a hard day's work.
If you do not like bitter taste, try to choose the lesser green and bigger bitter gourd because the smaller and greener ones are very bitter. My mum always use bitter gourd as an anology for someone who doesn't smile and frown all the time. She called that "foo kuah kon mien" (dried bitter gourd face) haha. I asked her why and she explained that the frowns look like the skin on the bitter gourd and usually with people do not smile but frown always, they can't be sweet right? So start smiling more if not, very soon you will look like a dried bitter gourd lah! LOL!
On a serious note, Mum said bitter gourd juice can lower blood sugar level. She makes bitter gourd soup for us once in a while believing it will help maintain our blood sugar level. I asked her if it is so good, why can’t we have it more often? She said we cannot over do and consume too much because it may cause mild abdominal pain or diarrhea.
Stir fry bitter gourds with canned fried dace in black bean sauce
Ingredients
½ kg bitter gourd sliced (get rid of the seeds)
2 bibs chopped garlic
1 canned fried dace in black bean sauce (de bone the dace and shred into smaller piece)
1 red chilly (finely diced) or 1 ts red chilly padi if prefer real spicy
1 ts vegetable oil
Method
Heat oil in wok and add garlic. Fry till fragrant and add bitter gourd, fry till it is slightly translucent. Add fried dace in black beans sauce and stir fry till bitter gourd is limp. Add chilly and mix well and serve.
