Ampalaya con Carne Recipe

"Ampalaya is a vegetable grown throughout the Philippines. It is mostly cultivated, although wild forms can be found. It grows wild in the remote areas of Mt. Banahaw. As the English name suggests (bitter melon), the melon has a bitter taste due to the presence of momordicin." (Read more, here.)

One dish we love to make with ampalaya is ampalaya con carne. This has been a common appearance on our dining table ever since my sister decided to eat healthier. I know a good lot of people who would wrinkle their nose at thought of eating ampalaya. But it is not all that bad, really.

It is no secret that this gourd is wickedly bitter and cooked incorrectly, it can be virtually uneatable. But its nutritional value far more outweighs this bitterness and it's enough to make you do a double-take. Besides, cooked correctly, ampalaya can taste pretty good. One thing you can do to temper the bitterness is to cut up the ampalaya thinly and let it cook through. Under-cooking ampalaya is a big no no. And can you just imagine eating big chunks of ampalaya? Brrrrrr.

Ampalaya con Carne

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 kilo beef, cut into strips
1 ampalaya sliced thinly
1 small can tausi (black beans), drained
1/2 cup water
1 tomato, diced (optional)
1 tokwa, cubed and fried until golden brown (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure:

Saute garlic in oil. Add beef and cook until brown. Stir in ampalaya, tomato, and tausi. Pour in water. Season with salt and pepper, adjust according to taste. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the water is reduced to half. Stir in fried tokwa.