A good farmer’s market is a wonderful thing. Fresh produce, friendly people, street musicians, and fresh morning air make for a fun Saturday morning. Inevitably, I come across a food item at the market that I have never seen before, much less ever tried to cook. When this happens, I like to talk to the farmer/vendor about what the food is and how to cook it. If I have the time to experiment and a few extra dollars, I will go ahead and buy some to try cooking at home. This past Saturday I came across a new food: bitter melon.
After talking to the farmer about the food and how to cook it, I decided to give it a try. I was advised to cook it with egg, pork, and tomato. After I got home, I found a recipe online and e-mailed a good friend back in Indiana (who is a great cook) to help guide my cooking experiment. Here is what happened:
1.) Peel and chop up four tomatoes.
2.) Slice 1/2 onion.
3.) Peel the melon, scrape out the seeds and cut into small pieces (I used three melons).
4.) Cut up the pork (I used about 2 pounds). Stir fry in oil with two heaping teaspoons of minced garlic.
5.) When the meat is cooked, add tomatoes, onion, and about 1 cup of chicken broth.
6.) After it has simmered for a while, add salt, pepper, and the bitter melon.
7.) Then add two eggs and let simmer about 5 minutes. And it’s done!
The melon is a little bitter, but with the pork and the tomatoes, it tastes great. A happy ending to a farmer’s market experiment. :)
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