[The Asian Market] Bitter Melon/Gourd

[Richard Kilgore]

I passed by the Bitter Melons in a market last weekend and wondered how members of the Society use them. I have only had them in Phillipine food, but a quick flip through Elizabeth Schneider's Vegetables: From Amaranth to Zucchini and Alan Davidson's Oxford Companion To Food, shows they are thought to have originated in India (Davidson) or Africa (Schneider) and are also used in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, China and most of South East Asia, as well as Hawaii and the Spanish Caribbean.

So how do you cook Bitter Melon in your part of the world. Any tried and true recipes for RecipeGullet?

[Dejah]

So how do you cook Bitter Melon in your part of the world. Any tried and true recipes for RecipeGullet?

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You can stir-fry it with ginger, garlic and fermented soy beans (dow see); stuff it with a mixture of ground pork, waterchestnut, shrimp then pan fried; make soup with pork bones, ginger, rehydrated oysters. These are familiar dishes in Chinese households. Check out the Chinese Pictorial by eGulleteer hzrt in the Chinese forum. I'm not sure if it is in RecipeGullet.

[Richard Kilgore]

So how do you cook Bitter Melon in your part of the world. Any tried and true recipes for RecipeGullet?

←

You can stir-fry it with ginger, garlic and fermented soy beans (dow see); stuff it with a mixture of ground pork, waterchestnut, shrimp then pan fried; make soup with pork bones, ginger, rehydrated oysters. These are familiar dishes in Chinese households. Check out the Chinese Pictorial by eGulleteer hzrt in the Chinese forum. I'm not sure if it is in RecipeGullet.

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Thanks, Dejah. Here is hrtz's Stir-fried Bitter Melons with Foo Yu.

[LindaK]

I tried bitter melon for the first time yesterday when I having dim sum with friends in Chinatown. 2" pieces had been steamed and hollowed (not sure which came first...) and then stuffed with a mixture of ground shrimp, mushrooms, ginger and scallions. Tried alone, the melon is indeed bitter (though I like bitter greens), but the sweet shrimp mixture made for a nice balance.

[SheenaGreena]

I actually like it sliced very thin and put into salads. It makes my mouth pucker

[eipi10]

I think thin pieces are essential for balance. I like it with sesame oil, garlic, and soy sauce.

[Pan]

Bitter melon goes very well with thin-sliced duck or beef. I haven't cooked it, but I've eaten such dishes with pleasure.

[tristar]

I've just uploaded a recipe for Pare Tumis (Indonesian Stir Fried Bitter Gourd onto Recipe gullet, just try it!

Pare Tumis (Indonesian Stir Fried Bitter Gourd)

[OnigiriFB]

My favorite is to make a soup. Cut into 2' rounds, hollow out insides. astuff with groung pork seasoned with white pepper/garlic/cilantro paste. Simmer in a chicken/pork bone soup. Season with a bit of soy sauce. Garnish with cilantro and ground white pepper. Yum.