Ginisang Ampalaya Bento

Here's a continuation of the vegetable chronicles. Ampalaya (bitter gourd) is a vegetable that everybody in my house eats. It's something that I prepare when I can't think of anything else to cook.

I bet most of you know how to cook this but for those who don't, here's how. Saute some garlic, onions and tomatoes in a little oil. I add the tomatoes first as I want it to be wilted by the time I finish cooking. Add water, depending on how much soup you want. We like soup so I put about 2-3 cups of water. Then add shrimp heads and shells. Mash the shrimp heads to get the essence then remove when cooked. Add the ampalaya and shrimps. Season with salt and white pepper or Magic Sarap, whichever you prefer. Add beaten eggs and mix until they form into chunks.

I served this with store-bought siomai. Those are animal cocktails picks from my bento collection. Here's a close up pic. Those bottles in the upper red quadrant are furikake shakers which I made into soy sauce containers.

Preparing baon need not be hard and boring. This is a perfect example of a simple but fun baon.