Dinner · 25 min · filipino

Ginisang Ampalaya with Egg

Bitter melon does the heavy lifting here, with eggs rounding it out. A Filipino dinner that takes 25 minutes, start to finish. Each serving lands at 130 calories with 10g of protein, so it eats like a much heavier meal. Leftovers keep well, so it doubles as next-day lunch without any extra work.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 2 Bitter melon
• 4 Eggs
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 Onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 tbsp Fish sauce

Steps

1. Halve the bitter melons, scrape out the seeds and pith — the pith holds most of the aggressive bitterness.
2. Slice thin, salt generously, and rest 15 minutes; squeeze dry. This tames the bitterness without erasing the character.
3. Sauté the onion, garlic, and tomatoes 5 minutes, until the tomatoes melt.
4. Add the ampalaya; stir-fry 5 minutes, until bright green and tender-crisp.
5. Push to the sides, scramble the beaten eggs in the center, then fold everything together.
6. Season with fish sauce. The finished dish should be pleasantly bitter, never punishing — an acquired taste that acquires fast.

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