Vietnamese Bitter Melon Stir-Fry with Eggs is a quick and tasty dish with health benefits. It requires very few ingredients and you need just one pan to cook it.
What is Bitter Melon
Bitter Melon (or bitter gourd) is called “muop dang” or “kho qua” in Vietnamese. “Muop dang” is literally the word-by-word Vietnamese translation for bitter melon. “Kho qua” means bitter living conditions are now in the past.
In both languages, the name doesn’t sound very appealing, right? The vegetable looks funny and has a bitter flavor, which I think turn a lot of people off. I will share a few tips to reduce its bitterness in the next section.
I admit I used to dislike it with a passion when I was a kid. My mom kept making it every week and explaining over and over again how healthy bitter melon was. In Vietnam, it is believed that bitter melon can help regulate blood sugar and detox liver.
In Vietnamese cuisine, bitter melon is cooked with other ingredients to offset the bitterness. Some of the most popular ways to cook this vegetable are stir-frying it with eggs and making stuffed bitter melon soup.
I can’t say I’m a fan of bitter melon but when prepared properly, this bitter melon egg stir-fry is pretty tasty because the richness of eggs helps tone down the bitterness. The dish is light with soft scrambled eggs and crunchy bitter melon.
How to Make Bitter Melon Less Bitter
Not all bitter melons are the same. I find that some are less bitter than others. When choosing bitter melons, try to find ones that have few and smooth ridges. The more ridges and the sharper and harder the ridges, the more bitter it will be.
Another tip is to slice bitter melon thinly and then soak in a bowl of salted water to reduce the bitterness (or sprinkle salt over it then rinse). I saw this tip on a Vietnamese magazine and it really helps make the taste more palatable.
In this stir-fried bitter melon with eggs dish, in particular, using more eggs will also make the dish more enjoyable. If you still think you cannot handle the bitterness of bitter melon, I recommend this Stir-fried Cucumber with Egg instead.
A friend recently told us that his mom briefly blanched bitter melon in boiling water to reduce the bitterness. I think the method sounds easy and makes sense.
How to Prepare Bitter Melon For Stir-Frying
First, you will need to slice bitter melon in half length-wise. Then use a small spoon to scoop out all the white, soft part with seeds inside. Slice very thinly into half-moons and soak them in salted water.
How to Cook Vietnamese Bitter Melon Stir-Fry with Eggs
We call this dish “muop dang xao trung” or “kho qua xao trung” in Vietnamese. It is a great dish to make for weeknight dinners because it requires very few ingredients and can be cooked quickly in one pan.
The main ingredients are bitter melon, eggs, cooking oil and seasonings. Be light on the seasonings since we want the richness of the eggs to shine.
I like to add a dash of fish sauce for some umami, but you can substitute with soy sauce or a bit more salt to keep the dish vegetarian.
1️⃣ After draining bitter melon slices, sauté them until they start to turn yellow or until they are soft to your liking. The next step should be done very quickly.
2️⃣ Pour the beaten eggs into the pan, pull the eggs towards the center of the pan to form large curds. Then just give everything in the pan a quick stir before transferring to a serving plate.
Read more about our favorite technique to scramble/stir-fry eggs in this Crab Scrambled Eggs recipe.
Don’t overcook the eggs but don’t leave it too runny. I like to have soft and fluffy curds. Best to use low heat so you can control the doneness on the eggs. Also, use a non-stick pan, the kind of pan that you use to make scrambled eggs. Mine is a Scanpan non-stick skillet.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
Vietnamese Bitter Melon Stir-Fry with Eggs
Ingredients
- 1 bitter melon (about 5-6 oz)
- 3-4 large eggs (about 2/3-3/4 cup beaten eggs)
- salt
- olive oil
- dash of fish sauce (or soy sauce or more salt to keep it vegetarian)
- black pepper
Instructions
- Slice bitter melon in half length-wise and scoop out all the white, soft part with seeds inside. Slice very thinly into half-moons.
- Put the bitter melon slices into a bowl and cover with cold water. Add about a teaspoon of salt to the bowl and soak the bitter melon for 20-30 minutes. Then drain.
- Crack eggs into a bowl and beat well. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Place a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and then add drained bitter melon slices. Sauté until they start to turn slightly yellow, or until they are soft to your liking. Season with salt and a dash of fish sauce.
- Lower the heat to low – medium low. Spread bitter melon slices evenly on the pan and then pour beaten eggs into the pan.
- Use a spatula or wooden spoon to pull the eggs towards the center of the pan to form large curds. You will have bitter melon slices and egg curds pile up in the center of the pan. Flip the pile over, then give everything in the pan a quick stir. This should be done quickly to avoid over-cooking the eggs.
- Once the eggs are cooked to your liking, transfer everything to a serving plate. Sprinkle freshly cracked black pepper on top.
ott chip
Using your recipe, I made this tasteful dish. I then added it to a chicken rice soup. Delicious.
Peggy
So easy, so good! My bitter melon wasn’t very bitter so didn’t soak. The second time I made this I added half a chayote, sliced a little thicker than the melon. I enjoyed the contrast of bitter crunchy and sweet crispy with the creamy richness of the eggs. This ((first and second versions) was also enjoyed by my elderly mother whom I cook for. Many thanks for posting this super quick, super healthy dish.
Patty Trinh
Thank you! Looking for recipes to reduce my husbands blood sugars.
Kate
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! My husband and I really enjoy it and have made on numerous occasions.
Sophie
Hi Kate,
Wow I’m glad that your husband and you enjoy this dish so much. Thank you for the comment and rating! This is also one of my husband’s favorite dishes.
Robert Koski
My wife in from southern Vietnam, we’ve been married over 20 years. At first, I couldn’t stand this dish. But, now I love it, having it for lunch with a few slices of pork belly and some soy sauce. I also like it sauteed in black bean paste. When she makes bitter melon stuffed with pork, I drink all the broth.
Sophie
Hi Robert,
Thanks for the suggestion! I will try it sautéed with black beans. For some reason, it’s still kinda difficult for me to enjoy bitter melon soup although I grew up with it. I still make it from time to time now, but mostly for my husband :).
Joe
I don’t like to use salt on my meals, and I wasn’t sure about the fish sauce, so for this simple meal, I substituted both with chopped Spanish olives. The olives come stuffed with pimento and are plenty salty already. Very Tasty. Thank you.
Mary
Was happy to come across bitter melon at a market…I enjoyed this several years ago…I plan on replanting the seeds.Love the recipes & they are healthy…
Sophie
Hi Mary,
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Not everyone I know can enjoy bitter melon. My friend once told me people who had been through difficult situations seemed to like bitter melon more than those who didn’t. I wonder how true that is.
Elizabeth
Made it for breakfast this morning. Soaked the bitter melon in salted water for the benefit of my American husband. Used Red Boat Fish Sauce. The end result? The dish was DELICIOUS!! Will be making this again and again.
Sophie
Hi Elizabeth,
Sorry for my late reply! I’m glad it was delicious. I usually have it for dinner with rice. It’s nice to hear that you enjoyed it as breakfast. Thank you for the feedback!
Andrea
I wish they sold bitter melon where I live! I miss eating this at my parents’ house.
Elizabeeth
Made it for breakfast this morning. Soaked the bitter melon in salted water for the benefit of my American husband. Used Red Boat Fish Sauce. The end result? The dish was DELICIOUS!! Will be making this again and again.