A group
of friends brought me to lunch last week. At first it looked like any other
coffee shop, until I walked towards one of the food stalls. At Zai Shun Curry
Fish Head, there were three long rows of cooked Teochew dishes lining the
stall, and they were enticing enough to make me salivate. But that was not what
we had come here for, my foodie friends reminded me.
At the
side of the coffee stall sat about 8 large styrofoam boxes; and inside them were
a wide variety of fish, reserved, I was told, for regular patrons. However, I shall reserve that fishy story for
a future post.
My
friends were raving about another dish. When the dish arrived, it turned out to
be bitter gourd cooked with salted egg and omelette. The combination intrigued
me. With the first bite, the taste of preserved yellow bean paste hit me instantly.
This paste was definitely no stranger to Teochew cooking. Besides cooking with it,
the paste was also versatile as a wonderful dip for steamed seafood. The salted
egg provided another level of saltiness to the dish. I loved the dish, and tried
to replicate it at home. This may not be the actual recipe, but I think it’s
close enough!
Bitter Gourd with Salted Egg and
Omelette
Bitter gourd 250
g, deseeded and sliced thinly
Salt 2
tbsp
Water 4
cups
White
vinegar 1
tbsp
Salted
egg 1,
boiled and chopped coarsely
Oil 2
tbsp
Egg 1,
beaten
Preserved
yellow bean paste 1½ tsp
Garlic 1,
minced
Sugar ½
tbsp
Stock 4
tbsp
Corn
flour 1
tsp, mixed with 1 tbsp of stock
Method:
1. Pour salt over the bitter gourd
and let it sit for 20 minutes. Rinse the bitter gourd thoroughly and squeeze
the water out. Blanch bitter gourd in boiling water and white vinegar for 30
seconds and drain. Soak the bitter gourd in chilled water to stop it cooking.
Drain and set aside.
2. Fry egg into an omelette and break
it into pieces with a spatula. Add the omelette to the bitter gourd.
3. Saute preserved bean paste, garlic
and sugar over a medium fire. Add a tsp of water if necessary to prevent it
from being burnt.
4. Once the preserved bean paste is
cooked, increase the flame to high. Add bitter gourd and omelette and fry for 3
minutes.
5. Add stock and salted egg and
continue to fry for another 1 minute.
6. Pour corn flour mixture and stir
until the sauce thickens.
7. Serve immediately.
Note: If you prefer a softer
version of the bitter gourd, simmer for a minute or two longer.