Tomato Bitter Melon Soup with Egg Drops

Our vegetable garden produces a lot of fruits this summer. We have bitter melons, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers and long beans. Not a lot, but more than enough vegetables for me and Lynard, I almost have to cook everyday in order to catch up.

I have made bitter melon soup before, but always with a can of Campbell soup. This year I decided to try something different. Not too difficult to make. Here is how:  Saute some onion, garlic and ginger first, then add bitter melon and tomatoes to make the soup. I use store bought chicken broth, low sodium. Cook the soup on medium low heat for about 30 minutes, season with salt and pepper as needed. At the end, beat an egg and swirl on top, cook until set, really pretty. Tastes a little bitter and sour, interesting flavor.

— Tomato Bitter Melon Soup with Egg Drops  —

Stir Fried Spicy Beans

 

One good thing about the extreme hot weather is that our long beans are growing fast and furious. Last week we had only 5-6 beans every morning. Today we picked at least 20-30 beans. We have cooked a lot of beans lately. I cooked this dish with two new sauces. It is not the flavor I have expected. But it is very easy to make, lots of flavor. A little too spicy for me. I think I can get used to it. Next time I will add some onion and garlic to give more flavors. This is a northern Chinese dish. A lot of people like it.

Chinese Long Beans

Stir Fried Spicy Beans  ( 炸醬炒豆角 ) 

2  cups Chinese long beans, 2-inch long pieces

2  tablespoons bean paste

2  tablespoons (or less) chili oil

2  tablespoons (or less) hoisin sauce

2  cloves garlic, chopped

1  small onion, chopped

Saute beans, onion and garlic for about 5-8 minutes over medium heat. Add bean paste, chili oil and hoisin sauce. Quickly stir fry until fragrant. Add about 1/4 cup water, cover the pan and cook another 5-8 minutes on medium low heat until beans are soften. That’s it. A nice side dish.