Hello! How are you? The weather is so unpredictable. This afternoon, it was raining a minute ago, but after five minutes, the sun came out. The weather is unbearable today, but it's hot again, and I feel bitter about it, LOL. That's a corny punch line, sorry about that.
I asked my mom what's for lunch, and she said I should cook the bitter gourd, I was supposed to cook it with egg because that's a common recipe for it but I was looking inside our fridge if I can find something to pair it with and good time there is still ground beef left so to make the dish fit for us four to eat I added ground beef as a filler for it.
I used to hate bitter gourd before, but since my mom taught me how to cook it right, I always cook it the same way. Some of you hate it because it is bitter, and who likes a bitter taste on their food, not me, LOL.
Ingredients and Prepping:
Ingredients and Prepping:
- Hot Water
- Bitter Gourd
- Salt
- Ground Beef
- Garlic
- Red Onion
- Tomatoes
- Ground Pepper
- Soy Sauce
- Oyster Sauce
- All-in-one seasoning
Let's Cook!
Boil the Bitter Gourd:
In a pan, I added enough boiling water to soak the bitter gourd. This makes the process easier when you're impatient like me.
After that, I added about a teaspoon of salt into the boiling water. I don't know the science behind it, but that is how my mom taught me, so no question asked, hehe. I think this helps to remove the bitterness of the bitter gourd.
After that, I added the bitter gourd in let it boil until the color of it turns lighter. I boil it for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
Now the bitter gourd changes color to a faint pale green. It is ready to be removed from the pan. Then I just rinse off the excess saltiness from it. One thing I do is I squeeze out the bitter gourd, if you really want the bitterness gone completely.
Cooking the Beef:
In a clean pan, I added about half a cup of ground beef. No need to add oil to the beef extra out enough oil from it.
I just mix it to avoid burning, and then just cook it until the beef turns brown and crispy.
After that, I added the aromatics like garlic and red onion, let it cook until the fragrance comes out, or when browning starts appearing.
Next, I added the chopped tomatoes.
Cook it until the texture turns mushy, that is the cue that the tomatoes are cooked. And make sure to mix them just to make sure that they will not burn.
Time to Cook the Bitter Gourd:
When everything is well mixed and cooked, it is time to add the bitter gourd.
Because the bitter gourd got boiled earlier, I don't need to cook it anymore. I am just going to cook it for a while and mix it until well combined.
After that, I added a pinch of ground pepper.
Next, I added a tsp of soy sauce.
After that, I added a tablespoon of oyster sauce.
To add more flavor to the food, I added a half teaspoon of all-in-one seasoning.
Mix everything until well combined, and the food is ready to be served.
I plated the food and have a little photoshoot LOL. Serve hot and plated.
Happy Eating! :D
Thank you for visiting, see you on my next blog. :D
Please take care of your mental health as well.
I hope you are okay today :))
Please take care of your mental health as well.
I hope you are okay today :))
