How to Cook Bitter Melon (Bitter Gourd) with Egg

✔ Published October 19, 2026 · de-bittering methods compared + 4 variations

Bitter melon with egg is a quick home-style stir-fry of thinly sliced bitter melon (also called bitter gourd, ampalaya or karela) and soft scrambled eggs.

It's cooked all over Asia: as ginisang ampalaya with egg, or ampalaya con huevos, in the Philippines, as 苦瓜炒蛋 (kǔguā chǎo dàn) in Chinese home kitchens and as karela anda bhurji in India. This version takes about 20 minutes, and a 10-minute salt-and-squeeze step tames the bitterness while the slices stay crisp-tender.

How to Cook Bitter Melon (Quick Answer)

To cook bitter melon, halve it lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and white pith, and slice it 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Toss the slices with 1 teaspoon salt, rest them for 10 minutes, then squeeze hard and rinse. Stir-fry with garlic, onion and tomato for 3 to 4 minutes until crisp-tender, then add beaten eggs and cook until just set.

Why You'll Love This Bitter Melon with Egg

• Noticeably less bitter, thanks to scraping out the pith and a quick salt-and-squeeze, without cooking the melon to mush.
• Ready in 20 minutes, with pantry staples: eggs, garlic, onion, tomato and fish sauce or soy sauce.
• Budget-friendly and light, at about 170 calories a serving, and a natural partner for a bowl of steamed rice.
• One method, four cuisines: easy swaps turn it Chinese-style, Indian karela anda, Filipino with ground pork, or vegan with tofu.

What Is Bitter Melon (Bitter Gourd)?

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is the bumpy green fruit of a tropical climbing vine in the gourd family, related to cucumbers, squash and melons. It is eaten unripe, while green and firm, and is grown and cooked across South and Southeast Asia, China, Africa and the Caribbean. In English it is usually called bitter melon in the US and bitter gourd in India, the UK and much of Asia.

What it tastes like: clean, green and assertively bitter, more like radicchio, dandelion greens or very dark chocolate than anything sweet. Raw, the flesh is crisp and juicy like a cucumber; cooked, it turns tender like zucchini while keeping a slight bite. The bitterness is the point of the dish, so the goal is to soften it, not erase it. Eggs, tomato, a little sugar and plain rice all balance it.

Chinese vs. Filipino vs. Indian Bitter Melon

The variety you buy changes how bitter the finished dish is. All three work in this recipe; just adjust the salting time.

Type	Looks like	Bitterness	Salting time
Chinese bitter melon (ku gua)	Long (8 to 12 inches), pale to light green, smooth rounded bumps and wavy ridges	Mildest	10 minutes
Filipino ampalaya	Medium (6 to 10 inches), darker green, more pronounced bumps and ridges	Medium to strong	10 to 20 minutes
Indian karela	Small (4 to 6 inches), dark green, spiky jagged ridges and pointed ends	Strongest	20 to 30 minutes

How to Choose and Store Bitter Melon

• Look for: firm fruit with an even, bright green color and no soft spots, wrinkles or bruises.
• Avoid yellow or orange patches: they mean the fruit is ripening. It softens, the seeds turn red, and it is past its best for stir-frying.
• Go smaller for milder flavor: younger, smaller and paler bitter melons are usually less bitter than large, dark ones.
• Find it at: Asian, Filipino and Indian grocery stores, many farmers markets in summer, and some large supermarkets.
• Store it: unwashed, wrapped in a paper towel in a loose plastic bag in the crisper drawer, for 3 to 5 days. Keep it away from bananas, apples and other ethylene-producing fruit, which speed up ripening.
• Freeze it: seed and slice, blanch for 1 minute, chill in ice water, pat dry and freeze for up to 3 months. Frozen slices go softer, so use them in cooked dishes.

How to Remove the Bitterness from Bitter Melon

You can't remove all of the bitterness, because the bitter compounds are in the flesh itself, but you can reduce it noticeably. Start by scraping out the seeds and pith, then pick one of the methods below. Salt and squeeze is the best all-round choice for a stir-fry, because it cuts bitterness while keeping the slices crisp.

The ratings below are practical kitchen comparisons, not lab measurements, and results vary with the variety and age of the fruit.

Method	Time	Bitterness reduction	Texture
Scrape out seeds and pith (always do this)	2 minutes	Moderate	No change
Salt and squeeze (this recipe)	10 to 30 minutes + 1 minute squeezing	Moderate to high	Stays crisp-tender, lightly seasoned
Soak in salted water	20 to 30 minutes	Mild to moderate	Crisp, can turn waterlogged
Blanch in salted boiling water	30 seconds to 2 minutes	Moderate	Softer, brighter green; limp past 2 minutes
Rinse only	Under 1 minute	Low	No change
Balance it in the pan (egg, tomato, sugar)	None	Masks it rather than removing it	No change

Step-by-Step Photos

Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.

Bitter Melon with Egg: One Dish, Many Names

Bitter melon with egg is one of the most widely cooked bitter melon dishes, and each cuisine has its own version. In the Philippines, ginisang ampalaya with egg (sometimes called ampalaya con huevos, a Spanish-influenced name) is sautéed with garlic, onion and tomato and seasoned with fish sauce, called patis. In Chinese home cooking, 苦瓜炒蛋 (stir-fried bitter melon with egg) usually skips the tomato and uses a splash of Shaoxing wine and soy sauce. In India and Pakistan, karela with egg is spiced with cumin, turmeric and chili. Vietnam has khổ qua xào trứng, and Okinawa folds bitter melon, egg and tofu into goya champuru.

The recipe card below is the Filipino and Chinese home style, and the variations further down cover the other versions. Browse more Chinese recipes and Indian recipes, and finish a Filipino meal with one of these Filipino desserts.

Tips for Success

• Scrape the pith, not just the seeds. The white spongy layer is the most bitter part. Scrape until you reach firm green flesh.
• Slice thin. About 1/8 inch (3 mm) gives the salt more surface to work on and cooks through in 3 to 4 minutes.
• Squeeze harder than feels necessary. The squeeze removes most of the bitter juice. Salting without squeezing does far less.
• Don't stir the eggs too early. Let them set for 20 to 30 seconds before folding, so they stay in soft curds instead of coating every slice.
• Season at the end. The melon is already salted, so add fish sauce or soy sauce a little at a time and taste before adding more.
• Pick younger melons. Smaller, firmer and paler fruit is milder. Chinese bitter melon is usually the mildest type.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Leaving the pith in. It is the most bitter part of the fruit, and no amount of salting makes up for it.
• Cutting thick slices. Slices thicker than 1/4 inch stay bitter in the middle and need longer cooking, which overcooks the eggs.
• Skipping the squeeze. Salt draws the bitter juice out, but it has to be wrung out of the slices to go.
• Overcooking the melon. Past about 5 minutes, it turns olive green and soft. Pull it when it is bright green and crisp-tender.
• Under-setting the eggs. Cook the eggs until they are fully set with no runny liquid, 160°F (71°C), but stop as soon as they are, so they stay soft.
• Over-salting. The melon already carries salt from the de-bittering step, so taste before adding all of the fish sauce.

Variations: Chinese, Indian Karela, Pork and Tofu

Chinese-style (苦瓜炒蛋): leave out the onion and tomato. Blanch the sliced melon in salted boiling water for 30 seconds and drain well. Scramble the eggs in 1 tablespoon oil until just set and set them aside. Stir-fry the garlic and melon in 1 tablespoon oil for 2 minutes, add 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon sugar, then return the eggs and toss for 30 seconds. A teaspoon of rinsed fermented black beans with the garlic is a common addition.

Indian karela anda bhurji: salt the karela for 20 to 30 minutes and squeeze well. Sizzle 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds in the oil, then cook the onion and 1 chopped green chili until golden, about 4 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder and the tomato, then the karela, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until tender. Scramble in the eggs until set and finish with a pinch of garam masala and chopped cilantro.

With ground pork (ginisang ampalaya with giniling): after the garlic and onion, brown 4 ounces (115 g) ground pork until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F (71°C), about 4 minutes. Then add the tomato and continue with the recipe. Some cooks also add a few peeled shrimp.

Vegan with tofu: replace the eggs with 7 ounces (200 g) firm tofu, pressed and crumbled, and add a pinch of turmeric for color. Season with soy sauce instead of fish sauce and stir-fry until the tofu is hot. Leftover tofu? See how long tofu keeps.

What to Serve with Bitter Melon with Egg

Steamed white rice is the classic partner, because its plain sweetness balances the bitterness (see these rice recipes). In the Philippines it is often served with fried fish, such as tilapia or galunggong, or grilled pork. It also works as a side for egg foo young, roast chicken or a simple soup, and the karela version makes a good breakfast with flatbread.

How to Store and Reheat

• Fridge: cool within 2 hours and refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat: in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water, or covered in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C).
• Freezer: not recommended. Scrambled eggs turn watery and spongy once thawed.
• Make ahead: seed, slice, salt and squeeze the bitter melon up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate it, then stir-fry just before serving.

Bitter Melon Nutrition

Raw bitter melon is low in calories, about 17 calories per 100 grams (3.5 ounces), and a good source of vitamin C, with about 84 milligrams per 100 grams raw, according to USDA FoodData Central. Cooking lowers the vitamin C. One serving of this recipe has about 170 calories, most of them from the eggs and oil.

Bitter melon has a long history in traditional medicine in Asia and elsewhere. That isn't medical advice, and bitter melon can interact with diabetes medication, so anyone taking it, or who is pregnant, should check with a doctor before eating large amounts or taking bitter melon supplements.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get the bitterness out of bitter melon?

Scrape out the seeds and all of the white pith, slice the flesh thinly, toss it with salt for 10 to 30 minutes, then squeeze hard and rinse. Blanching the slices for 30 seconds to 2 minutes removes a little more. No method removes all of the bitterness, because it is in the flesh itself, but together these steps reduce it noticeably.

Is bitter melon the same as bitter gourd?

Yes. Bitter melon and bitter gourd are two English names for the same plant, Momordica charantia. It is called ampalaya in the Philippines, karela in India and Pakistan, goya in Okinawa and ku gua in Mandarin. The fruits differ in size, color and bitterness depending on the variety.

Do you need to peel bitter melon?

No. The bumpy green skin is edible and helps the slices hold their shape. Just rinse it, trim the ends and scrape out the seeds and white pith. Some Indian cooks lightly scrape the rough ridges of karela before cooking, but it is optional.

Should you blanch bitter melon before stir-frying?

It is optional. A 30-second to 2-minute blanch in salted boiling water removes a little more bitterness and turns the slices bright green, but they soften. Chinese-style versions often blanch, while Filipino-style versions usually salt and squeeze. For the crispest texture, salt and squeeze instead.

What does bitter melon taste like?

Bitter melon tastes clean, green and distinctly bitter, closer to radicchio, dandelion greens or very dark chocolate than to a sweet melon. Raw, it is crisp and juicy like a cucumber; cooked, it turns tender like zucchini. Eggs, tomato and a pinch of sugar balance the bitterness.

Can you eat bitter melon raw?

Yes, thinly sliced bitter melon can be eaten raw, for example in salads, but it is at its most bitter that way. Most recipes salt or cook it first. Always remove the seeds and pith before eating it.

How long does bitter melon with egg last in the fridge?

Cool the leftovers within 2 hours and refrigerate them in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet or the microwave until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C). Freezing is not recommended, because the eggs turn watery and spongy.

Is bitter melon good for you?

Bitter melon is low in calories, about 17 calories per 100 grams raw, and a good source of vitamin C, with about 84 milligrams per 100 grams raw according to USDA data. Cooking lowers the vitamin C. It is used in traditional medicine, but that is not medical advice, and it can interact with diabetes medication.

Sources

Nutrition figures: USDA FoodData Central, Balsam-pear (bitter gourd), pods, raw. Safe cooking and reheating temperatures: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures.