15 kid-friendly Ampalaya recipes your family will love

15 ampalaya recipes for the whole family

People tend to shy away from ampalaya or bitter melon because of its very strong, bitter taste. But including this vegetable in your diet is good for you, though. Ampalaya is packed with Vitamins K, C, and A. It is also known to contain enzymes that help regulate blood sugar, making it beneficial for diabetics.

Think it’s time to include this veggie into your family’s diet? Here’s a quick tip to get you started. To lessen the bitterness of your ampalaya before you cook it, use salt. First, slice ampalaya in half, lengthwise. Remove all of the seeds and the white flesh in the center. Then slice into U-shaped pieces.

Place the sliced ampalaya in a bowl and massage it with salt for about five minutes. Rinse and drain the liquid that is released, then repeat. The salt helps release the bitter juices, making your ampalaya a lot easier on the palate.

Check out these 15 kid-friendly ampalaya recipes.

1. Ampalaya con carne

Mommy blogger Peachy Adarne shared one of her favorite ways to prepare ampalaya on her blog – Ampalaya con carne. It only takes a few easy steps to cook this dish at home: Sauté 1 medium chopped onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic in a pan with some oil Add ½ kg beef sirloin, cut into strips, into the pan. Cook for just a few seconds over medium heat until slightly browned Pour 1½ cups of water into the pan and allow to simmer until the beef is tender Add ¼ cup tausi, 4 tbsps soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and salt and pepper to taste Add the ampalaya, which has been washed in salt and sliced diagonally, and allow to simmer To thicken the sauce, pour in 1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsps water Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice

2. Stir-fried ampalaya with shrimp

To make this quick and simple dish, start by sautéing together 1 small sliced onion, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 2 medium sliced tomatoes. Add 1 cup of peeled, deveined shrimp, and cook until they turn pink, about three minutes. Then, add ½ to 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt.

Place the ampalaya into the pan once the water starts to boil. Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes, or until the ampalaya is tender. Do not overcook. Season with a little patis (fish sauce) and pepper, and top with crushed peanuts if you wish. To add zing, you may top with sliced chilies.

3. Healthy juice with ampalaya

For your morning vitamin boost, whip up a healthy green juice with ampalaya, apples, celery, green bell peppers, and cucumbers. You can adjust the proportion of each fruit to suit your taste, adding more apples to up the sweetness levels, or cutting back on ampalaya if the juice is too bitter.

4. Ampalaya apple shake with coconut milk

This recipe makes a great refreshment for hot days. The sweetness of the jackfruit and apple, and the creaminess of the coconut milk will work to neutralize whatever bitter taste the ampalaya might bring to the drink. To make, simply combine these ingredients in a blender: 1 cup sliced and seeded ampalaya the juice of 1 lime or lemon 1 large Fuji apple, peeled, cored, and sliced ½ cup bottled langka, or ½ cup fresh langka cooked in simple syrup 1 cup coconut milk ½ cup sweetened yogurt 2 tbsps honey ¾ cup crushed ice

5. Lumpiang shanghai with hidden ampalaya

To get her kids to eat different kinds of vegetables, mom blogger Millie Manahan likes to mince and mix them into dishes that contain ground meat. She has tried this with burger patties and lumpiang shanghai. You can do the same with meatballs and embotido.

For a delicious lumpia dish with hidden ampalaya, mix 3 cups of ground pork or chicken with 1 beaten egg, 1 cup minced carrots, 1 cup minced onions, and ¼ cup minced ampalaya. Season the filling as desired with salt, pepper, or liquid seasoning. Spoon filling into lumpia wrapper, roll, and seal tightly, then fry.

6. Sotanghon guisado with ampalaya

Aside from serving it with rice, you could use ampalaya as an ingredient for pancit as well. This version uses 20 grams of sotanghon, which you should pre-boil and drain. Sauté garlic (as much of it as you like!) and 1 onion, then add ¼ kilo of pork, cut into strips. Stir-fry until pork is cooked.

Add 1 cup of sliced ampalaya, and cook over high heat. Add 1 beaten egg, mixing the dish continuously until the egg is cooked. Finally, add the cooked noodles, and season with salt and pepper.

To add more crunch to your pancit, you can also add sliced carrots, shredded cabbage, or togue.

7. Pasta sauce with hidden ampalaya

Another way you can sneak various kinds of vegetables into your kids' diets is by using purées in your sauces. Sneaky spaghetti sauce is one yummy way to do just that.

Just make your family's favorite spaghetti sauce as you usually would, but add a cup or so of vegetable purée into the sauce. You may use carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, and yes, even ampalaya to pack your sauce with added vitamins.

To make a purée, slice the ampalaya, remove its seeds and scrape out the thin white layer lining the flesh, and boil in salted water first. Then purée in a blender with a little bit of water. You can even do this ahead, and store the purée in the freezer until you are ready to cook!

8. Beef and ampalaya in oyster sauce

Workshop director and mom blogger Donna Donor shares that she can get her nine-year-old son to eat ampalaya when it is prepared by his grandmother. The dish that Donna's mom prepares is beef and ampalaya in oyster sauce. You can make this easy dish at home with these five steps: Marinate 1 kilo of beef tenderloin strips in ¼ cup soy sauce and ½ tsp ground black pepper for at least 30 minutes. Fry the beef strips in oil until browned, and set aside. In the same pan, sauté 1 chopped onion and half a head of garlic, minced. Add 1 to 2 whole ampalayas, which have been thinly sliced. The amount of ampalaya you put in will depend on your taste. Add ½ cup oyster sauce and ¼ cup water, and simmer for a few minutes. Mix in the cooked beef, followed by 1 tsp sugar. Season with salt and pepper, serve hot.

9. Ampalaya guisado with egg

One of the most popular ways of preparing ampalaya is by cooking it with scrambled egg. In this version of ampalaya guisado with egg , the eggs are scrambled and sliced beforehand instead of being added raw into the dish as you cook.

Start by simply sautéing together 1 whole chopped red onion, 4 cloves crushed garlic, 1 whole cubed tomato, and 2 sliced ampalaya. Add a little water or vegetable broth, and allow the veggies to steam until they are tender. Once the vegetables are cooked, add sliced up scrambled eggs to the pan, sauté for a few more minutes, and season as desired with salt, pepper, sugar, and patis (fish sauce). You can also add meat to this dish if you intend to serve it as a heavy viand.

10. Pinakbet

Pinakbet is a popular Ilocano vegetable dish seasoned with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste). You will need the following ingredients for this dish: Vegetable oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 red onion, sliced 100 grams pork liempo, sliced 1 tbsp bagoong alamang 1 wedge squash, cut into squares 1 cup water 1 medium eggplant, sliced 1 ampalaya, sliced 4 pieces okra, sliced in half 4 pieces string beans, cut into 2 ½-inch pieces Salt and pepper to taste First, sauté sliced onion and minced garlic in oil. Add liempo and fry until cooked. Add the bagoong. After a few minutes, add the squash followed by 1 cup of water. Once dish starts to simmer, add the eggplant and ampalaya. After a few minutes, add the okra and string beans and simmer a while longer. Season as needed and serve immediately.

11. Stuffed ampalaya

You will need to look for larger-sized ampalaya for this baked dish. Slice them into 2-inch pieces, and carefully remove the seeds and white center.

In a bowl, mix together ½ kilo ground pork, 1 minced onion, ¾ cup minced carrots, 1 cup shredded bread, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp paprika, and 1 egg.

Once the mixture is thoroughly combined, use a teaspoon to stuff this into the ampalaya slices. Arrange the stuffed ampalaya on a greased baking pan, and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit or 190 degrees Celsuis for 22 to 26 minutes, or until the meat is completely cooked.

12. Ensalada with ampalaya

Lifestyle blogger Joei Gana shared a recipe for ensalada with ampalaya on her blog, a dish that her mom makes and serves with fish. This side salad doesn’t require any cooking, so it’s something you can easily whip up to add valuable nutrients to your meals.

All you need to do is mix together 1 sliced ampalaya, 2 chopped tomatoes, 1 chopped onion, and 1 to 2 sliced salted eggs or itlog na pula. Aside from fried fish, you can also serve this simple salad with grilled meat.

13. Tinolang manok sa ampalaya

Tinola is traditionally made with papaya and sili leaves, but some Ilocano versions of this dish include ampalaya in the mix. To make, arrange the following in a pot, and boil until the chicken and vegetables are cooked through: ½ kilo chicken pieces 1 whole ampalaya, cored and sliced 1 thumb-sized nob of ginger, peeled and sliced 3 garlic cloves, sliced 1 small onion, sliced 2 tbsps patis Ground black pepper to taste 4 cups water or chicken stock You can opt to add sili leaves or sotanghon.

14. Ampalaya torta

If your kids like omelets, you may be able to get them to try this ampalaya torta. To diffuse some of its bitterness, soak 1 sliced ampalaya in salt and vinegar for half an hour before cooking.

After soaking, drain the ampalaya, rinse in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Quickly sauté the ampalaya slices in a little bit of oil then set aside.

Beat five eggs, and season them with salt. Pour eggs into a frying pan with oil. Cook the egg until the bottom begins to harden. Place the ampalaya slices on one side of the egg. Fold the other half of the egg over the ampalaya side to "close” the omelet. Serve hot.

15. Amplaya stir-fry with bacon

Make your ordinary stir-fried ampalaya more appealing to your kids by topping it with slices of delicious bacon. In a wok or skillet, sauté together 1 minced onion, 3 cloves of minced garlic, and ½ red bell pepper, sliced.

Add 2 small sliced ampalaya. Toss the vegetables in oyster sauce, and season with patis (fish sauce) and sugar to taste. Transfer to a serving plate and top with crumbled or sliced cooked bacon.

15 kid-friendly ampalaya recipes your family will love

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patricia de Castro-Cuyugan

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Patricia de Castro-Cuyugan

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