Oh interesting, could you recommend any dishes that use it well? There's quite a sizable Chinese population where I live, so I can probably find it prepared authentically enough :)
To be honest I never saw much effort going into preparing it. It was just sliced, hollowed out, and then fried. I'm not sure if there's a way to tone down the bitterness, but the only justification for its inclusion I got was "it's healthy" or "it's an antioxidant".
> I'm not sure if there's a way to tone down the bitterness
The bitterness is the whole point. Itβs an acquired tasted, just like beer. Once you get used to it, you understand how it makes your meal as a whole feel less greasy and less cloying.
If your really want, you can tone down the bitterness by lightly dry-frying the bitter gourd slices.
The stir-fry with scrambled eggs is a home classic, Cantonese cooks can usually make it.
Black fermented soybeans is often added to the stir-fry with beef slices.
Bitter gourd can also be used to cook soup, with pork bones and soybeans.
It can also be hollowed out, filled with seasoned minced pork, and then steamed as a type of dim sum.
To be honest I never saw much effort going into preparing it. It was just sliced, hollowed out, and then fried. I'm not sure if there's a way to tone down the bitterness, but the only justification for its inclusion I got was "it's healthy" or "it's an antioxidant".