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Bitter Gourd Chicken


Bitter gourd aka Bitter melon is a tropical vegetable cultivated in China, Africa and South East Asia.  Scientific term for Bitter gourd is Momordica Charantia. There are 2 varieties of this bitter melon.  One is oblong and pale green in colour while the other is smaller, oval and has a darker green colour with more wart-like bumps.
This vegetable is enriched with nutrients, rich in magnesium, zinc, manganese, low in calories, cholesterol, sodium and saturated fats.  As the name implies it has a bitter taste and some people may not like it, but bitterness aside, try it for its nutritional virtues!  Do hop over to Wikipedia to know more about this ugly gourd!



Easy to cook ....... saute the chopped garlic and ginger, toss in the preserved black beans,toss in the chicken, preserved bean paste, stir-fry, simmer till cooked and you're done ...................







This dish goes well with white rice or  with plain white Teo chew porridge.

Ingredients
  • 300 gm free-range chicken, skin removed, cut into bite size
  • 250 gm bitter gourd
  • 5 pips garlic, pounded
  • 10 gm young ginger, pounded
  • 1 tsp each - preserved black bean, preserved bean paste, dark soya sauce and sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp cornflour + 2 tsp water to thicken
  • Salt to taste
Preparation
  1. Wash and cut up the bitter gourd in half length, scrape and discard the seeds.  Cut into 1/2 inch x 2 inch pieces.  Add some salt and set aside.
  2. Wash the chicken pieces, pat dry and season with some salt.
  3. Lightly pound the garlic, ginger and preserved  black beans.
  4. Saute some oil with the garlic, ginger and black beans till fragrant.  Add in the chicken pieces and bean paste, stir-fry for a few minutes.
  5. Add in 1 cup water, sugar, dark soya sauce and cook under high heat till it boils.  Cover the wok and lower the heat to medium low and let the chicken cook through.
  6. Meanwhile, squeeze out the salt water from the seasoned bitter gourd and give it a rinse.  This is to remove bitterness from the bitter gourd.  Drain and set aside.
  7. Remove the cover, add in the bitter gourd and cook till soft.
  8. Add in the cornflour mixture to thicken, fine tune to taste.
  9. Dish out and serve hot with rice or with plain white porridge.

Comments

  1. Looks very delicious! I must cook this for myself one day soon!

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  2. Bitter gourd! This is something you can't easily find here...my mum loves to stew the bitter gourd in a claypot together with dried shrimps and mushrooms.
    Braise them with chicken looks great too.

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  3. I love this dish too but the boys do not like bitter gourds so I don't cook it. Looks delicious!

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  4. I used to hate bitter gourd but now I love it! I like it this way too, so good with rice.

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  5. I love bitter gourd...but I have never had chicken with it...bookmarked and will surely give it a shot! Thanks for posting!

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  6. 3 hungry tummies
    It's delicious and bittergourd is nutritious too.

    Angie
    Braising with dried shrimps and mushrooms is interesting, must try one day.

    Jeannie
    Yes, most children don't like it because of its bitter taste.

    pigpigscorner
    I only acquired the taste not too long ago and now I love it!

    Jhonny walker
    You can also substitute with pork ribs, taste good too!

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  7. I really like this dish. Love the bitter gourd. This dish is very good with rice....mmm

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  8. my favourite green...the bitter gourd. I was crazy till I use it to fry vermicelli...have you tried it...taste awesome :)

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  9. I only like bitter gourd when cook in soup, stir fry so far I am stil not quite like it cos of the bitter taste :P

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  10. wish I liked bittergourd this looks great

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  11. i'm not a big fan of bitter gourd, but my family would love thid dish!!

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  12. MaryMoh
    Yes, I make this quite often. Cooling!

    Elin
    Chow bihun with bittergourd! Sounds interesting, and on 2nd thought, think it'll be great.

    Jess
    You season with some salt and after a while, when they've become limp, you squeese out the salt water, rinse with running water, helps reduce the bitter taste. My mum taught me.

    Chow and Chatter
    Have to acquire the taste.

    Anh
    Yes, not everyone likes it because it's bitter.

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  13. gimme bitter gourd anytime and i'll gobble them down. i love it even as a child despite its bitter taste.

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  14. Yum!!just had this the other day at my mom's, she made a huge pot. I took pics and will post that soon. Yours looks and sounds great! also love bitter melon soup :) like to drink that for a weekly tonic...so cleansing.
    Thank you,
    Lisa
    CookNg Sisters

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  15. petite nyonya
    Not many young children like bittergourd because of its bitterness!

    lishapisa
    Oh, I love bittergourd soup too!

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  16. nice recipe, i love bittergourd <3

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