A Simple Lunch Made with Love: Sauteed Bitter Gourd and Fish Fillet 😋❤️

Hello everyone!

Hope all are safe and well! 😊❤🙏

Today’s menu is sauteed bitter gourd and fish fillet. 😋 Simple, affordable, and very Filipino but for me, it is more than just food. It is a reminder of how blessed we are. ☺️❤️

Early this morning, my mother harvested bitter gourd from our backyard. I love how she still enjoys planting vegetables even at her age. There’s something very peaceful about growing your own food. When I woke up and went to the kitchen, I saw the bitter gourd already washed and sliced into thin pieces. My mother had prepared everything ahead of time. I smiled and told her, I'll be the one to cook. It feels good to take over the kitchen sometimes and let her rest. ☺️❤️

The bitter gourd looks so fresh and green. Straight from our backyard to our pan. Not everyone has this kind of blessing to just step outside and harvest what you will cook. It saves money, yes, but more than that, it gives a different kind of satisfaction. ❤️

I get the ingredients in our store such as eggs, garlic, onion, tomato, ground black pepper, and oyster sauce. Other ingredients like cooking oil, salt, and seasoning were already available in our kitchen. I didn’t add soy sauce or water because I wanted the natural taste of the bitter gourd to stand out. Some people soak it in saltwater to remove the bitterness, but for me, a little bitterness is okay. Life itself is not always sweet, right? 😁 Yet we still appreciate it. ❤️

I started by sauteing the garlic, onion, and tomato. I always love that moment when the aroma fills the kitchen. It feels like home. Then, I added the sliced bitter gourd, stirred it gently, and added the eggs, oyster sauce, ground black pepper, salt, and seasoning. I didn’t overcook it. I like my bitter gourd half-cooked that still crunchy and fresh. When the eggs were fully cooked and well mixed, I turned off the stove. Simple and done. ☺️

The sauteed bitter gourd may look ordinary to others, but for me, it’s yummy and satisfying. The crunch, the slight bitterness, and the flavor of egg and oyster sauce blend perfectly. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious. ☺️

After that, I fried the fish fillet. This is the perfect partner of our bitter gourd for lunch. The fish was caught by my parents. Another blessing! ❤️🙏 Fresh fish plus freshly harvested vegetables, what more can we ask for? 🙏

The fish fillet turned golden brown and crispy. Just seeing it makes me hungry again while writing this. Sometimes we don’t realize how fortunate we are to have food on the table. There were seasons in my life when things were financially tight and heavy. Even now, I still carry responsibilities and challenges. But moments like this remind me that God always provides in different ways. 💪🙏

It is so nice to have food around us like vegetables from the backyard and fish from my parents catch. Simple living, but full of gratitude. Cooking for my family gives me joy. It’s my little way of showing love. ❤️🙏

Have a Blessed Tuesday everyone! 😀😀😀💖💖💖

Thank You Lord for the blessings and love!

Be grateful in every little/simple things and you’ll find happiness you ever wanted! 😀😀😀

Everyday is worth to be grateful of!

Praying for the safety and wellness of all.

Heal Our Land Oh God!

Lovelots,
@shikika