Ampalaya Guisado
I have always liked my ampalaya (bitter melon) chunky and crispy, sauteed with tomatoes and served sizzling with thick sauce, Chinese-style. But mama, my friend T‘s mom, cooks it differently. Notice the thin ringlets sans tomato color, they’re light green that you may say they’re overcooked but I couldn’t say it ain’t yummy because the truth is… I love it! Mama didnt go into the trouble of trying to de-bitter the vegetable and lose the vital nutrients but it’s really surprising the dish wasn’t bitter at all. Hmm… is it NZ bitter melon or I just have high tolerance for bitter flavor?