Comments on: Tiny Ampalayas with Ground Beef & Oyster Sauce

By: lui

lui — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:06:31 +0000

the ampalaya con carne i know is the one offered in chinese panciterias ( sun wah, toho, pines). It has strips of sirloin, sliced onions, luya, bawang, soy sauce , a hint of sugar and corn starch .if i’m not mistaken, there is tausi in this dish. no beaten eggs in their version. muy delicioso with the right degree of bitterness.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 02:02:55 +0000

Joy, yes you are correct ampalaya is the Filipino term for bitter gourd or melon.

By: Joy

Joy — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 18:52:16 +0000

hi,
is ampalaya the same as bitter gourd and bitter melon? if so then I understand the veg.that you’re talking about hehe. It’s bitter for me and I’ll try the tips from everyone here to get rid of the bitterness. But its the first time for me to know that there are mini/baby ampalaya hehe. I usually fry mine w/eggs or as a veg dish w/ground pork or beef hehe in oyster sauce.

By: dizzy

dizzy — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 11:57:29 +0000

in our province, this type of ampalaya is usually boiled then paired with burong isda or hipon. most of my siblings prefer eating ampalaya with most of its bitter taste squeezed out. but i like it the way it is or at least with the bitterness only slightly tempered by sprinkling it with a bit of salt before running it under tap water. coz, really what’s ampalaya without that bitter taste?

By: wil-b cariaga

wil-b cariaga — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 02:10:21 +0000

yes. . . we use this ampalaya for pakbet ilocano and I think he bitterness mellows when you use it for this dish. . . we always have this vine hanging in the fence of my lola’s, so we harvest fresh ampalaya for pakbet. . .

By: MEL WOOD

MEL WOOD — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 19:27:25 +0000

One has to have an acquired taste for this veggie to love it. And those who do, really crave for it like they crave for chocolate!

I grew up eating ampalaya, but of the variety that was much, much, bigger, the ones with shinier, smoother skins, sometimes we call “malalaking kilabot”. One big ampalaya could weigh around 3/4 kg or 750 gms. In our town, before the onslaught of lahar, that was our main agricultural crop–harvesting tons of it on a weekly basis. So we have lots of recipes for ampalaya.

One of my favorites is the stuffed ampalaya, which we call “rellenong apalya”, which we dip in yup! ketchup! It’s really, really nice. And yes, it’s true that frying this veggie will reduce the bitter taste. We also do, ampalaya omelette and it’s nice with sliced fresh tomatoes or even ketchup. Or else, we just boil it and dip it in bagoong alamang with vinegar or that fermented rice, we call, ‘tagilo’ in Pampango or ‘buro’ in Pilipino. You can also fry it and dip it in ketchup. Hayy! I’m tortured describing all these recipes to you MM, because where I am, ampalaya is nowhere in sight, or kung meron man, frozen na from Vietnam.

If you’re interested with the relleno, I can give you the recipe. Learn to love it, its good food.

By: NYCMama

NYCMama — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 14:05:10 +0000

MM, I read in a previous post that you get gout, even from shellfish, just like my husband. Ampalaya is our antidote. If he gets a bad attack, (rare now cause he watches what he eats), I juice a raw ampalaya (yes, really!), add an apple or carrots to kill the bitter, then he drinks it (can chase with water) and the gout will be gone soon. Now, as preventative, he takes ampalaya pills every day with the regular daily vitamins. If he eats some shrimps, like at a Chinese restaurant, he will also order an ampalaya dish and be sure to eat that too.

By: perkycinderella

perkycinderella — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 12:57:37 +0000

I love this type. My Dad is Ilocano, so everytime we go to the North, we had these pinakbet style. My Mom, an Ilonggo, preferred the bigger ones grown in Negros. I love both types for health reasons. They are good for diabetics, though I’m not. But my sister who was borderline diabetic before can attest to the wonders of this veggie. She was cured after eating ampalaya for 2 months (3 times a week) and exercising.

By: millet

millet — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 10:58:04 +0000

MM, passing out from the bitterness of ampalaya is just too funny! and i thought you were into putting tulle or gauze or vaseline on the sides of your lens! nice how it turned out, though..who would have thought it could be so vile….

By: Sandra

Sandra — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 09:53:31 +0000

Ampalaya (amargoso in Ilonggo) is one of my favorite vegetables. But this is the first time I see a small one. Is this only grown in the Philippines? I also eat it as a salad alongside red peppers with Japanese vinegar. It is a good sawsawan. Ymmmm….