Ampalaya

This teensy 24-seat restaurant in Columbia Heights has been the star of the DC culinary scene with its modern take on Filipino food, served family-style and only to groups of four or fewer. Diners have gravitated towards the ampalaya, a melon dish cooked with salt, then toasted with tomatoes, red onions, shallots and ginger. An egg and black beans top off this foreign special.

Washington.org

Apr 7, 2018

“I’m surprised how popular it is,” Cunanan says of the piquant Filipino delicacy. To make the fruit more palatable, Cunanan salts it for 30 minutes and squeezes it through a towel, which cuts the bitterness. It’s then toasted in a wok with garlic, shallots, ginger, red onions and tomatoes. Fermented black beans are simmered with lemon peels, ginger and whole garlic and tossed with the melon mixture. An egg is thrown in seconds before the plate hits your table.