Bitter melon is a veggie used in lots of Chinese dishes. It is, like the name says, bitter. Like make your wretch bitter, that is unless you cook it first.
Still, I wanted to try it, so after cutting it open and removing the insides with a spoon, I sliced them up and gave them a nice salt bath for about 15 minutes. Odd, I know, but all the websites and the girl who sold them to me told me to do this. Afterwards I gave them a hardy wash and soak to get rid of all the bitterness the salt should have leached out.
I then went to deep fry them. The result? The big pieces were too bitter to consume. The tiny pieces tasted of salt and only salt.Did I do something wrong here? I'm calling out for any bitter melon advice you have out there cause I have a crap load of the stuff sitting in my fridge still, and I am at a loss.
I do think you're very adventurous to try them. I remember reading on a blog somewhere a while back where another blogger talked about trying them and didn't like them either!
ReplyDeleteI was giggling while reading this. Bitter melon is a taste that you slowly have to get used to. I hated the taste as a kid. It was only a few years back when I started liking it. Some of my Chinese friends still don't like the taste.
ReplyDeleteI asked my dad about using salt on bitter melon, and he said that you just put the salt directly on the bitter melon for the juice (bitter stuff) to come out. We skip this step usually. The way we like to cook it is with black beans and garlic, and pork or beef. My mom says that you can also make soup with it, or stuff it with meat, steam it and then pan-fry it. Good luck on finishing all of it! :)
Oh, and also...the more yellow/ripe the bitter melon is, the less bitter it is. My grandma grows these in her backyard, so my family gets quite an amount of it if the season is good.
ReplyDeleteThis bitter melon looks a bit young. I think the more bumps on it the better. I usually cook this with scrambled egg and it helps to take away some of the bitterness.
ReplyDeleteMy advice: Omit it.
ReplyDeleteOr, as it also applies to a salad: it tastes best when replaced with a juicy piece of meat just before serving.
bitter melon, or bitter gourd, will always be quite bitter, whether you soak it in the salt water/sprinkle it with salt or not, as the bitterness is (believe it or not), what people want to taste when they eat it. the trick is to slice them into smaller, more manageable slices. another really really good way to eat them is raw, sliced into long, paper thin strips by using a vegetable peeler, then serving them icy-cold with honey. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that I've nothing to contribute to the bitter melon discussion (never tried/no current inclination to brave it at home)... but I coulndn't find the comments on the above post!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say congrats on getting the shout-out, and also thanks for introducing me to BakeSpace!
The few times I've had bitter melon, it was just that: bitter. That said, I don't think you've done anything wrong in the preparation. I remember when I was a kid my mom made it stir-fried with black bean and garlic (like vickie said), and I imagined it would taste as good as it smelled. Not so. I've had it a couple of times since, always thinking that my matured palate would appreciate the unique flavor...It hasn't happened yet! Good luck with the leftovers... and PS -- I love your blog. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree totally with vickie in the comments. Growing up, we never used the salt method. We sliced them in half lengthwise, then thinly slice them to little 1/2 moon shapes. Pan fry with beef usually and black bean sauce. Or, Mom will also (if she has the time, to slice logs of the melon and scoop out the middle, then stuff with a mixture of ground dace fish with pork then steam them. And as vickie said, the more ripe, the less bitter. One way to tell after you have sliced them is if the seeds are partly an orange colour. Yum!
ReplyDeletehi, i have been eating this since childhood. being a vegeterian we tend to try to eat everything. well try. many still dont like the taste but you mask it a bit with spices in India. This chinese bittergaurd is mellow . try the east Indian bittermelon. it tops it all out.
ReplyDeleteJust soak it in a little salt, turmeric and yougurt for about 30 min and then wash it well. it reduces the bitterness but not completly.
we make a dish with spice powder, salt , jaggery and tamrind. mail me if you need the recipe
hope you have better luck next time
sam shomas_22@yahoo.com
sorry i'm no help....i don't like bitter melon either.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for trying bitter melon. I'm with Emily and Mary. I've also known it sauteed with beef slices and black bean sauce. You can get the dish at Hoi Cin on Folsom Blvd. It is an acquired taste. I hated it when I was a kid, but now can tolerate it.
ReplyDeleteMy mother was impressed with my non-Asian then boyfriend (now husband) cooking and enjoying bitter melon.
I don't mind bitter melon. Like a lot of things its all about how it is cooked.
ReplyDeleteYou can't escape the bitterness in any case. Just remember that with every bitter bite, it helps your liver and other wonderful things for your health.
Anyway, my mum has several bitter melon dishes.
* Steamed bitter melon filled with a pork mince mixture. Eat sliced with steamed rice.
* Mum stir fries it with beef, a bit of garlic and oyster sauce. Again eat with steamed rice.
* lastly, raw bitter melon. Doesn't seem so bitter raw. Dip with a shrimp paste sauce that my mum makes. It smells but it tastes good.
Oh, how I wish I could offer you some advice to salvage your bitter melon. But, alas, all I can say is, "I know how you feel." I've tried it at least twice now, and let's just say I wouldn't post on my results. Better luck next time, if there is a next time.
ReplyDeleteSorry for jumping in to the bitter melon discussion a bit late, but have you looked at the latest issue of Saveur? There's an article about Hmong farmers in the Central Valley and a discussion of how to handle bitter melon on p. 100. Hope that helps (have never eaten the stuff myself, but I'm a recovering picky eater!)
ReplyDeleteI hear that blanching is the way to go to reduce the bitterness. Again, you won't get rid of it, but you'll blunt it.
ReplyDeleteI remember the first time my family in Hawaii served me ampalaya. They laughed so hard when they saw my face after the first bite! I had it several times in Fiji, stir-fried Indian-style, and I got used to it then.
My family peels bittermelon deeply, supposedly it gets rid of the bitterness and makes the finished product sweet. I would say that it's not sweet by a long shot, but still quite tasty. But as others have noted, I grew up eating it.
ReplyDelete