Ginisang Ampalaya is usually made with ground beef or pork, but I wanted a healthier version so I used ground turkey instead. I also added achuete to this dish to add flavor. Ampalaya (or bitter melon) is a gourd plant with green skin and a white-to-translucent inner flesh. This vegetable is especially rich in important nutrients including vitamin C, Vitamin A which is a fat-soluble vitamin that promotes skin health and proper vision. It is also rich in antioxidants and is said to also help manage diabetes.
Unless you grew up with bitter gourd as part of your regular diet, it might take you a while to warm up to the bitter flavor. But there are ways to reduce the bitterness of this vegetable as stated in the instructions below. Bitter gourd contains bioactive compounds called saponins and terpenoids. These compounds are responsible for the vegetable's bitter taste, but may also play a role in lowering blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. The saponins and terpenoids in bitter gourd may help move glucose from the blood to the cells while also helping your liver and muscles better process and store glucose.