So tell me something about it, that I don’t know. It’s ugly, it’s bitter and it’s not something I’d go out of my way to eat.
Yes, bitter gourd, is definitely not everyone’s favorite vegetable. But did you know this zucchini-like veggie with a bumpy surface is really good for you? Bitter gourd has twice the calcium of spinach, two times the beta carotene of broccoli and double the potassium you get in bananas. And, if you want to control blood sugar levels or you’re dying to have that flat sexy abs, embrace the gourds!
Bittergourd with salted egg
Many people want to know how to make bitter gourd taste less bitter. There are actually several ways to achieve that, according to my mum, but she usually sticks to this – salt the bitter gourd slices with a teaspoon of salt and leave in a colander for half to one hour. Then rinse under running water to remove excess salt. Alternatively, if she is in a hurry, she also sometimes soaks the slices in salted water just before cooking.
Well, mum’s cooking is always the best, but what if she cannot always be around to cook the perfect bitter gourd dish for me?
Well then, there’s always Fu Kua restaurant, for that.
Minced pork with salted egg
Thanks to Marcky, who discovered this place (and nearly went blind sampling the food on a dozen separate occasions to find out which dishes were nice and worth having), the 5 of us headed down there for our bittergourd a.k.a. Fu Kua fix. He promised that it would taste as good as mum’s preparation of the evil looking vegetable, so we decided to throw caution to the wind, dine on as many fu kua dishes as we could possibly stomach and bid farewell to signs of pre-diabetes if any.
Fish slices in black bean sauce and bittergourd
Bittergourd pumpkin
Ham Choy Chee Yoke Tong (Preserved Vegetables with Pork Meat, Meatballs and Tofu Soup)
Teem Kai (Chinese Stir Fry Frog with Spring Onions and Ginger)
Bittergourd soup with pork meat, tomatoes and ginger
Braised Pork Knuckle in Black Pepper Sauce
Crispy Crunchy outer Layer of skin, with a soft braised center
Bittergourd leong char (herbal tea) with ginseng root and chinese red dates
The root of all things good.. is gourd!
Verdict:
What can I say. Marcky will be glad that he did not eat bittergourd for weeks in vain. The place really passed the test! All 5 of us loved the food and found the bittergourd well prepared and super delicious. We highly recommend this place to anyone who is a bittergourd fan, and to those who are not, Fu Kua restaurant makes great training ground for the uninitiated!
Address: Fu Kua Restoran,21, Jln SS23/15, Taman SEA, Tel: +6016-219 1548 , +6016-243 4233 11am to 3pm, 5.30pm to 11pm Google Maps
I cannot imagine that the day would come that I would LIKE fu kua! But the fu kua fried with salted egg is just so awesome…. 😀
aww common .. you ended up loving every minute of it ! LOL
Yes, and this is really near to my place. Just beside this is the Siew Yok! shop right? Aiming for a dinner at Fu Kua; but on weekends the crowd can be intimidating.
i know! i used to put off eating here because it was soooo crowded. insane on weekdays lunch time too!
sadly there aren’t a lot of friends who love bitter gourds as much as me!
join us KY!
Me and Devil love them bittergourds! But this is the first time I’ve heard of the bittergourd pumpkin pairing – match made in heaven since we’re bonkers for pumpkin too! 😀
oh yeah kenny ! talk about smashing pumpkins! haha
OMAIGOURD you posted up already, now I’m gonna seem like a copy-cat OR it’s gonna look like one of those gimmicky group by-invitation reviews. :O
KY you should join us next round.
giggle 😛
Looks like heaven to me. It’s actually one of my parents favourite makan places. 🙂
it’s damn good!
I love my gourds! Am curious about the restaurant next to it though, Siew Yoke. Have yet to get round to trying it 😉
comfortable and in expensive. i love this place!
I eat Fu Kua but not really “LOVE” lor… There are so many non-Fu Kua dishes available there too, good!
I used to hate fukua. now i love it! LOL
i will never embrace the gourds no matter how good it’s going to be! That’s on the top of my not-to-swallow-list!
hmmm.. what else u swallow ar?
Twice the calcium of spinach, for that reason alone I’d give it a try.
i agree;) strong bones baybeh!
I have to say I’m not a bitter gourd fan myself, but looking at all these gorgeous dishes and soups, I have a good mind of being a convert! 🙂
yay! they do non fu kua dishes too babe;)