Stir-fried bitter melon with eggs is a classic Chinese dish.
It’s the kind of no-fuss recipe you whip up quickly on a weeknight without having to defrost anything or chop a million things. Truly my kind of recipe.
The bitterness of the melon (also known as bitter gourd) is balanced by the richness of the eggs. It’s a go-to recipe right up there with Beef with Bitter Melon in Black Bean Sauce.
Note:
It’s been a while since we’ve posted—probably the longest hiatus we’ve had since we started The Woks of Life eight years ago believe it or not. But we have a good reason!
We’ve been super busy photographing our upcoming cookbook (coming out Fall 2022!). But don’t worry, we’ll be getting back to a more regular posting schedule in the coming days.
I LOVE Bitter Melon
I never thought I’d find myself saying this, but I absolutely love bitter melon. When I was a kid, I avoided it like the plague, not understanding why my parents would eat something that literally had “bitter” in its name.
But now that we regularly grow bitter melon in our garden every year, I’ve grown to love its bitter flavor, which contrasts so beautifully with rich ingredients like (in this case) scrambled eggs, sliced beef, and umami-packed black beans.
My partner Justin and I look forward to seeing bitter melons overflowing in Chinese markets this time of year, and especially my mom’s garden bitter melon each summer.
Beef with Bitter Melon is a slightly more involved recipe, but this one couldn’t be much simpler. It’s basically scrambled eggs!
Simply scrape out the bitter gourds, slice them, and give them a quick blanch in your wok. Drain them, reheat your wok, and scramble some eggs. Then mix it all together with a few seasonings, and you’re done!
If you’ve never prepared bitter melon before, don’t worry. I’ll show you how to do it with step-by-step photos in this post.
Growing Bitter Melon
We’ve been growing bitter melon in our garden for the last few years. We’ve grown it from seed, and we’ve also purchased baby bitter melon plants from our local Chinese grocery store.
Bitter melon is a climbing plant, so all it needs is a trellis (or in our case, the garden fence) to climb. It grows best in a hot, humid environment (this summer in NJ has definitely fit the bill), with full sun.
There are a few varieties. Some bitter melons sold in Indian markets have a sharper, spikier, wartier appearance. We use the smoother type more common in Chinese cooking.
We have our bitter melons growing right next to our cucumber plant:
Is Bitter Melon Good for You?
In a word, YES.
I’ve done some research about Bitter Melon, and it has the added advantage of being incredibly good for you.
It’s rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and polyphenols. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties and is said to help prevent cancer and diabetes! One article I found described bitter melon as “a panacea for inflammation and cancer.”
(A reader even once contacted us for bitter melon recipes, as he had been prescribed bitter melon by a nutritionist to help treat his diabetes.)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, bitter melon has “cooling” properties, making it a great thing to eat during the summer. It is believed to promote circulation, reduce inflammation and internal heat, and aid digestion.
Long story short, give this recipe a try. It’s easy, and it’s good for you too!
Recipe Instructions
Take each of your bitter melons, and slice them in half lengthwise.
Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Scrape the inside of the melon clean of any white pith, which can be particularly bitter.
Turn the melon over so that the hollowed out side is facing the cutting board, and cut into thin slices on a diagonal.
Fill your wok (or a medium to large pot) with water, and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring it to a boil. Blanch the bitter melon for 30 seconds, and drain. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with ¼ teaspoon of salt, white pepper, and sesame oil.
Heat your wok until it’s completely dry and just begins to smoke. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, followed immediately by the beaten eggs. Scramble the eggs quickly so they remain tender and do not brown.
When the eggs are 70% cooked, remove them from the wok back to the bowl and set aside.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok, and add the bitter melon. Stir-fry for 15-30 seconds, and then add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok. Stir-fry for another 15 seconds, and add the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.
Add the eggs back to the wok, and mix just until they’re cooked through.
Remove from the wok immediately and serve.
Bitter Melon with Eggs
Ingredients
- 18 ounces bitter melon (about 2 bitter melons)
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (divided)
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce if making this vegetarian)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Take each of your bitter melons, and slice them in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Scrape the inside of the melon clean of any white pith, which can be particularly bitter.
- Turn the melon over so that the hollowed out side is facing the cutting board, and cut into thin slices on a diagonal.
- Fill your wok (or a medium to large pot) with water, and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring it to a boil. Blanch the bitter melon for 30 seconds, and drain. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with ¼ teaspoon of salt, white pepper, and sesame oil.
- Heat your wok until it is completely dry and just begins to smoke. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, followed immediately by the beaten eggs. Scramble the eggs quickly so they remain tender and do not brown. When the eggs are 70% cooked, remove them from the wok back to the bowl and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok, and add the bitter melon. Stir-fry for 15-30 seconds, and then add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok. Stir-fry for another 15 seconds, and add the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.
- Add the eggs back to the wok, and mix just until they’re cooked through. Remove from the wok immediately and serve.
Love this! Even better with a salted egg mixed in.
What a great recipe! Uncomplicated, unfussy, but with perfectly balanced flavors. Loved it !
Thank you Cheryl!
I can’t wait to try this. My husband and I both love bitter melons. Maryland is so hot and humid in the summer I don’t think we could survive without them. We’ve grown them every summer for years but it’s always a challenge to find good seeds. I didn’t know anybody in the U.S. ever sold plants. Could you please let me know your sources for the seeds and plants? Thanks so much. We’re really looking forward to your cookbook!
Google “Kitazawa seed”. They have seeds for “everything” Asian.
Hi Courtney, we usually buy both the seeds and young plants at our local Chinese market. That said, there are online sources like Kitazawa Seed Co. Here’s a link to their bitter melon seed packets: https://www.kitazawaseed.com/seed_365-35.html
Thanks. I’ve bought seeds online from several vendors including Kitazawa, but I got the best germination rates from Evergreen Seeds. Unfortunately they have stopped selling seeds. If I could get plants I would drive to NJ!
I once tried to cook bitter melon. I don’t know if I cooked it wrong, prepared it for cooking wrong, or the folks I got it from picked it at the wrong stage or ifit was suppose to take like biting aspirin tablets. It was too bitter to eat. How bitter is bitter melon suppose to be? I like strong black coffee, no cream or sugar.
Try soaking it in salt water for 10 minutes then thoroughly squeeze out the juices. It makes it significantly less bitter. This is how we prepare it in Philippine cuisine.
Thanks. I just don’t know how it’s suppose to taste. Kinda like if you have never had a ripe persimmon and got an unripe one. You would think they were to suppose to be nasty and would wonder why some folk liked them.
Thanks for sharing, Lee!
Funny that I too hated bitter melon as a kid but have taken a liking to it now that I’m older! Perhaps a maturing of the taste buds? haha! I just bought a bitter melon and will try making this. BTW, can you use the scooped out seeds to grow the melons? I don’t have a backyard and was thinking about growing them in a 5 gallon bucket next year. Has anyone tried doing that?
Hi Kate, it’s pretty bitter, more bitter than a vegetable like broccoli rabe. But we all have different tastes also! People either love bitter melon or hate it in my experience!
I tried to cook it once. I didn’t know to deseed it or blanch it. It was like foaming at the mouth bitter. Your aspirin description is perfect!! Once bitter twice shy!! But this looks so good I want to be brave enough to try again!!
Hi Toni Jean, yes, with all the seeds and white pith in there, it would certainly be extremely bitter! Try this method, and it may change your mind!
Easy to cook and delicious. Thank you so much
You’re welcome, Jannet!
I love bitter melon, and I can’t wait to try this recipe. So easy and sounds delicious!
I also love broccoli rape and most other bitter veggies – maybe because my mom never cooked them when I was a kid?
Thanks for sharing your tip how to reduce the bitter taste kabayan.
You’ll love this dish, Cheryl!
I fully understand what you mean. I also, avoided goya (bitter melon) in my adolescent years. And now as an old, half-century plus adult, I can have it with every meal. It falls into the category the better it tastes the worse it is for your health and the worse it tastes it better for you over health. LOL
hahah it does seem that way sometimes, John!