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Delicious Bitterness!

Cooking with Bitter Melon (Momordica Charantia)


One of my favorite TV show is the Food Network's "Chopped". The basket intrigues me and the chefs' response to a challenging basket and a ticking clock is nothing short of dramatic. On one episode the chefs were challenged with the Bitter Melon, an ingredient I grew up knowing as "Foo Gaw". The Bitter Melon is from the same family as the Jamaican herbal tea Cerasee and has an equally acerbic taste as the dreaded tea that we would have to drink whenever we had a bellyache or needed some form of "washout". 


Anyway, back to "Chopped", the Bitter Melon bowled over a few of the chefs who had no idea how to cook it. One chef just sliced it up and put it in a salad, I felt sorry for the judges who would have to taste that because I am all too familiar with its taste. Needless to say, that episode brought back memories of my father and his love for the bitter melon and how much that influenced my acquired taste for it and consequential love for what I now call one of my all time favorite Chinese dishes- Stuffed Foo Gaw (Bitter Melon) with Pork.


So, my father is here on vacation and I would not pass up the opportunity for a cooking class in how to make stuffed Foo Gaw with Pork. The following video is a quick demonstration of my dad's version of stuffed Foo Gaw with Pork. There are many different versions of this dish- some people use chicken, beef or shrimp and others steam it and them cook it in a sauce. Whatever the version is, it is a wonderful dish and if you are not scared of "bitter"- it is worth a try. 




Tips for Cooking with Bitter Melon 

  • Always remove the core and seeds.
  • Blanch the bitter melon in hot water for about 5 minutes to remove some of the bitterness
Other Ways to Consume Bitter Melon
  • Sliced thinly and stir fried with your favorite meat and oyster sauce
  • Blended as a drink (blanch then blend) use a sweetener to taste
  • Curried by itself or with meat and/or vegetables
  • Made into a pickle (achar)

Health Benefits?

According to the National Bitter Melon Council, the bitter melon may have the following health benefits: Bitter melon stimulates digestion it can be helpful in people with sluggish digestion, dyspepsia, and constipation; Bitter melon may have powerful insulin-lowering effects– it can be a very powerful anti-diabetic and more.

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