Bittermelon sambal

This time I tried making bittermelon. Not many people like bittermelon because of the bitterness. I used to not like it either, however when it was cooked spicy...it tasted sooo yummy. So that was when I started liking it.

Anyways, in Bahasa Indonesia, bittermelon is called Pare and the word says it all.


*Ingredients:
2 small bittermelon, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, diced
1 big clove of garlic, minced finely
1/2 medium red onion. diced finely
2 small orange habanero chillies/10 thai chillies, seeded and sliced
1 big red chilli, seeded and sliced
1 big bay leaf
1 tsp roasted shrimp paste
salt to taste
a pinch of sugar
about 1/4 cup of water, add more if needed

*Direction:
1)Heat oil in a medium high heat and stir fry the garlic and onion until smell good.
2)Then add chillies and bay leaf, stir.
3)Add tomatoes and bittermelon. Stir until the tomatoes and vegies about to soft. Add water, sugar, salt and shrimp paste. Stir well. It should have some little liquid left in the pan as the sauce.
4)Served with hot steamed rice.

The bittermelon should be soft but still crunchy to bite.

* Habanero chilli is known as one of the hottest chillies in the world. It's often used in tropical fruit salads, fish, salsa, bean stews and ceviche.