apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Seasonal Spotlight: Bitter Melon

2008_10_29-BitterMelon.jpgI've been seeing a lot of bitter melon at the Farmer's Markets and in Asian groceries recently. I've always seen this fruit around, but I never knew what to do with it, so I decided to do some research.

 
 

Bitter melon are subtropical fruits that grow on vines, and they are commonly found in South and Southeast Asian cuisine. It also grows in Africa and the Caribbean.

Bitter melon is watery and crunchy like a cucumber, and can be eaten raw, but is more commonly used in stews, curries, and stir fries. As its name indicates, it has a bitter taste, but this is countered by salting the cut parts of the melon and cooking it with sauces and spices. It is also deep fried and served as a street snack.

You can experiment with bitter melon by trying some of these recipes:
Bitter Melon with Egg and Tofu
Chicken and Bitter Melon Soup
Pinkabet

(Image: Kathryn Hill)

Tags

Ingredients - Fruit, Asian, bitter melon

Share

Comments (12)

Mmm, pinkabet over rice--I grew up on that. It really does go well with a nice, sweetish meat like pork or lamb to cut the bitter.

posted by OneWallKitchen on October 29th 2008 at 11:00am
view OneWallKitchen's profile

My dad used to make a soup where he'd stuff them with a mixture of ground pork, clear glass noodles and wood ear mushrooms. Reminds me of childhood.

posted by foodiegirl on October 29th 2008 at 11:24am
view foodiegirl's profile

My dad used to stuff it with pork and make soup, similar to this recipe. Unfortunately, I have tried and tried to like bitter melon, but it's just too strong for me.

posted by Emily Ho on October 29th 2008 at 11:25am
view Emily Ho's profile

My mom used to saute bittermelon with ground pork over rice. Even over the years, I still can't get myself to eat it.

posted by Darlene on October 29th 2008 at 1:42pm
view Darlene's profile

I haven't had pinakbet since I was a little kid and never acquired the taste of the bitter melon in it. I'd alway remove them from the dish. Maybe now that I'm older I'll like it? I'll have to make it one of these days to see!

posted by logarhythm on October 29th 2008 at 3:02pm
view logarhythm's profile

I grew up eating this in a dish my mother made, a stir fry with beef and black beans. It's terrific, actually.

posted by KidMoe on October 29th 2008 at 4:01pm
view KidMoe's profile

ooh, this is one of my fav vegetables... cooked with tons of sweet onions, spices in a dried curry!so very good with roti!

posted by daiz on October 29th 2008 at 4:30pm
view daiz's profile

just had it the other day....so tasty!!! stuffed with ground pork and steamed over rice....

posted by wwoolsey on October 30th 2008 at 3:48am
view wwoolsey's profile

I love love bitter melon...in the Vietnamese stuffed way or sliced in soups.

posted by bipolarbear on October 30th 2008 at 9:58am
view bipolarbear's profile

oh. my mom tried to get my sisters and I to eat this w/ her when we were kids. think we gave it a shot once and never again. she's given up cooking it now since no one would even get near it. it's not one for the masses. the bitterness is wretched on my palette.

posted by lunatig on October 30th 2008 at 3:16pm
view lunatig's profile

my mom used to sauté bitter melon with tomatoes and add (scrambled) eggs. never liked it, but was forced to eat it by my dad when i was younger. so i'd take a few slices, cut them smaller, then bury one of the pieces in a spoonful of rice. once i feel the bitter melon piece (while chewing slowly and carefully), i'd swallow it whole so i wouldn't have to taste it so much. blech. still don't like it. strangely enough i don't have a problem eating bitter melon leaves, which, if i remember right, were bitter too.

stuffed ampalaya (bitter melon) this says to choose bitter melon with less wrinkled skin so it'll be less bitter

bitter melon 'salad'

posted by rmx on October 31st 2008 at 8:36pm
view rmx's profile

Oh my god - don't eat these raw! No one does that...

There are two kinds of bitter melon - your picture is the smaller Indian kind, which I prefer - and there is also the bigger, lighter and less wrinkly Chinese kind. That's the kind used for stuffing it with pork and making soup. I make mine south indian style with the small Indian bitter melons with a sweet and sour tamarind/jaggery sauce. Also like frying them or baking them in thin rounds as "chips" with salt, turmeric and chili powder.

It's an acquired taste - many Americans don't like bitter flavors - but having acquired it, I now have cravings for it.

posted by DCarl1 on July 14th 2009 at 9:33am
view DCarl1's profile