Bitter Melon cooked with Eggs

This yummy and very nutritious recipe is from my mom. She serve this to us last Sunday. Ampalaya or bitter gourd is very much advisable to diabetic people. Ampalaya or Bitter melon is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown for edible fruit, which is among the most bitter of all vegetables.
Bitter melons are seldom mixed with other vegetables due to the strong bitter taste, although this can be moderated to some extent by salting and then washing the cut melon before use.
A traditional way to cook bitter melon curry is to peel off the skin and cut into thin slices. It is salted and exposed to direct sunlight for few hours to reduce its bitterness. After a few hours, its salty, bitter water is reduced by squeezing out the excess by hand. Then it's rinsed with water a few times. Then fried in cooking oil, with onions also fried in another pan.

Here's the Recipe

1-1/2 cups ampalaya, sliced thin crosswise
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomatoes, sliced
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons shortening
1/4 cup onion, minced
1/4 cup water
Salt to taste

How to cook Ampalaya(bitter melon)With Eggs:

• Sauté garlic and onion in 2 tablespoons of shortening or oil. Add tomatoes and water, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add sliced ampalaya, cover and cook for 3 more minutes. Season with salt.

• Add the beaten eggs spreading all over the vegetables. Cook over slow heat until the eggs are slightly firm. Add an extra 2 tablespoons of oil if necessary to keep the eggs from sticking.

• Avoid stirring the vegetables as it squeezes more of the bitter flavor of the vegetables and makes the dish unpalatable. Yield: 4 servings.