Bitter Melon KG

Bittermelon

Bitter melon is a tropical plant and the fruit has an extremely bitter taste, which is due to the presence of a non-toxic substance. To use, do not peel. Cut the fruit in half and remove the seeds. Thinly slice the flesh, place in muslin, and squeeze the juice out and discard. The flesh is then made into a curry. To remove some of the bitterness blanch in boiling water, or salt for 15 minutes and rinse prior to cooking. Bitter melons can be stuffed with a vegetable or meat filling or sliced finely and stir fried with curry powder until dry and crisp. Bitter melons are also used in Chinese cooking – a traditional Cantonese dish is to stir fry sliced bitter melon with beef and serve it in black bean sauce.