Stuffed Ampalaya (bitter melon)

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized ampalaya
75 g. of ground beef
75 g. of ground pork
(instead of red meat, you can substitute ground chicken breast meat, minced fish or chopped shrimps)
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp. of breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. of grated carrot
1 tbsp. of finely chopped onions
1 tsp. of finely minced garlic
salt and pepper

Preparation:

Step 1:

• Wash the ampalaya well.
• Cut off the top and bottom parts.
• Cut the body into 2-inch thick rings.
• With a sharp narrow knife, cut around cavity of the ampalaya to remove the seeds.

Step 2:

• To remove the excess bitterness, place the ampalaya in a glass bowl and sprinkle liberally with rock salt.
• Cover and let stand for at least 20 minutes.
• With your thumb and forefinger, carefully squeeze out the water expelled by the ampalaya.
• Wash and place in a clean bowl.
• Pour boiling water over the ampalaya and allow to soak for five minutes.
• Drain, splash with cold water and drain again.

Step 3:

• Mix together the rest of the ingredients to make the filling.
• Use a tablespoon of the meat mixture to stuff the cavities pressing to pack in the filling well.
• Place in a shallow baking pan and bake in a 350oF oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top of the filling is lightly browned.

Note that if you’re using fish, chicken or shrimp for your filling you may have to lightly grease the baking pan to avoid sticking. This isn’t necessary if you’re using ground pork in the mixture because whatever fat it has will grease the pan during cooking.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.