CSA - Bitter Melon - PLEASE READ!

 When it comes to foods like Bitter Melon, PLEASE heed my words…

 Bitter Melon is the most healing/medicinal food on the planet BUT more is NOT better. Since it’s bitter, it’s an acquired taste for most Americans, while in most of the rest of the world this vegetable is no stranger to the pantry.

 Keep in mind…any time you try a food you’ve never eaten before…

1. Do some reading about what it is, and find out if there are medical contraindications if you’re on medication or have health issues
2. Eat a single serving size and give it 24 hours to see how your body reacts (some might be fine, a lot might not)
3. When in doubt how to cook something, look to the countries that have been using it for decades/centuries, and see what they do and don’t do
4. Any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask

 Over the years we’ve had the South Asian/Indian variety and the Chinese variety but not sure which one will show up this week.

 This is the green/early yellowing stage and DON’T eat the internal seeds or pith (scrape it out with a spoon and compost or chuck it), and DON’T eat it at all if it turns yellow/orange. As odd as it might seem, it’s only eaten when NOT ripe (green/greenish yellow), and when it’s fully ripe (yellow/orange and if it’s REALLY ripe it goes Alien and explodes with bright red seeds popping out), it’s NEVER eaten for culinary purposes.

 Here’s 3 simple recipes from India, Viet Nam & Hawaii…

 Baked Bitter Melon Chips…

https://kitchenkemistry.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/oh-my-gourd-baked-bittergourd-chips/

 Bitter Melon and Scrambled Eggs (how easy is this…I don’t bother soaking/salting, don’t need to use a non-stick pan, and more ridges/bumps does NOT mean more bitter…this person is just using the Chinese type and not the South Asian type, and I’d add Soy Sauce/Tamari/Braggs Amino/Coconut Aminos at the end)…

https://delightfulplate.com/vietnamese-bitter-melon-egg-stir-fry/

 Bitter Melon with Eggs and Tomatoes…

https://www.oahufresh.com/recipe/bitter-melon-with-eggs-tomatoes/

 If you’re a juicer or smoothie kind of person (CSA member Karen Rubino puts Banana in her Bitter Melon smoothies)…I would start with a 1” piece of Bitter Melon to start and work my way up but NEVER go overboard…too much Bitter Melon juice will tank your blood sugar level and you could end up passing out!

http://justjuice.org/bitter-melon-juice/

https://www.rebootwithjoe.com/in-the-reboot-kitchen-green-bitter-melon-juice/

 And if you’re a fan of cocktails, here’s one using Bitter Melon (a number of years ago I inspired a NYC mixologist to develop a Bitter Melon Daiqiri and it was quite yummy 😊)!

https://www.saveur.com/japanese-green-gin-bitter-melon-cocktail-recipe/

 Selecting and storing…

http://bittermelon.org/learn/selectingbittermelon

 Nice post and recipe about Bitter Melon…

http://baconbutterbooze.blogspot.com/2011/09/ingredient-spotlight-bitter-melon.html

 Most cultures eat Bitter Melon with Eggs, Pork or Beef…the fat content in all of these lessens the taste of the bitterness. Tofu doesn’t have enough fat to make this happen but it can be substituted if that’s what you eat. And if you don’t eat any of the above, you can just saute and eat. If you want to eat it raw, try it in a smoothie BUT start with only an inch chunk, or don’t drink a lot and see how you react…it can lower your blood sugar levels and depending on you (and if you’re not used to eating it), you could get dizzy or pass out (if it gets too low and you’re dizzy…heaven forbid…eat one of the following - 3 tsp. honey/1 cup milk/1/2 cup fruit juice/2 tbs. raisins - wait 15 minutes and you should feel better)!

http://www.biohackersrecipes.com/bitter-melon-turmeric-smoothie/

 

Easy recipe…

Bitter Melon with Eggs…

http://wishfulchef.com/bitter-melon-eggs/

 Vegan Bitter Melon dish (I’d get the seeds and pith out…don’t care what this person says…and I don’t bother with soaking and salting…less bitter = less medicinal…and I like fewer steps in cooking if possible, not more…but you can try and see what you like better)…

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Bitter-Melon-Curry-1648169?columns=4&position=3%2F71

 

Vegan stuffed Bitter Melon recipe…this looks really good…

http://holycowvegan.net/2011/03/stuffed-bitter-melons-karela.html

 

Beef with Bitter Melon…

http://thewoksoflife.com/2015/07/beef-with-bitter-melon/

 

Here’s some basic info…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momordica_charantia

 

Didn’t know it’s used in some Beers instead of Hops! I learn something new about this vegetable every year.

 

Read the Side Effects and Interactions…

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-795-bitter%20melon.aspx?activeingredientid=795&

 

Where to eat Bitter Melon (I don’t know about you, but I like to learn to cook by eating)…

 

Thai USA

Huntington

NOT on the menu – ask for Bitter Melon (they don’t have it all the time…called Mala in Thai)

Served as a side dish stir-fried with oil, salt & pepper with Eggs (I get this with Brown Rice as part of a meal that I’m sharing…have gotten my partner to eat this…doesn’t love it like I do but will eat it)

 

The Orient

Bethpage

NOT on the menu – ask for Bitter Melon (called Foo Gua in Cantonese and Koo Gua in Mandarin)

Served as a dish for 4 people (main dish size) and can be requested with Black Beans Sauce OR Pork OR Beef (have had Black Bean Sauce, and Pork)

 

House of Dosa

Hicksville

On the menu – order the “Healthy Salad” and it’s Bitter Melon (called Kerala in most of India) stir fried till it’s like Bitter Melon jerky with Tomatoes, Onions, Cilantro (this is Bitter Melon 101 – very easy to eat)

 

Main St Taiwan

Flushing

Numerous Bitter Melon dishes on the menu…I’ve had them all (feel free to ask for details if interested) but then…I love Bitter Melon

 

Tito Rad’s

Woodside

Filipino restaurant and Bitter Melon is called Ampalaya. They have numerous dishes with Bitter Melon. Have had the Shrimp with Eggs and Bitter Melon, and the Pinakbet I think has Bitter Melon in it though it doesn’t say so (if not here, I’ve had Pinakbet at other Filipino places that did…this is my fave place so far). Will go back and eat everything they have with Bitter Melon in it.

 

If you know of any other places that serve it…let me know!

 

It is the most medicinal vegetable on the planet and here’s why…

 

Okinawa one of the areas in the world that has the most healthy people living over 100 years and if asked why, one of the answers they will give you (along with gardening and having a community of relatives and friends) is eating Bitter Melon (called Goya in Okinawa)! Nice article on Okinawan food with Bitter Melon recipe…

http://www.saveur.com/okinawa-japan-food-and-hotel-travel-guide

 

Kills breast cancer cells in the lab and leaves healthy breast cells alone. They’re working on turning it into a pre-chemotherapy drug. I’ll just eat it.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20179194

 

HIV and Bitter Melon…

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12346831

I have personal experience with this. Someone I knew had full blown AIDS, took NO conventional treatments but juiced Bitter Melon and it was the only thing that brought his T Cell count into normal range (he showed me the before and after lab work reports…very impressive).

 

Diabetes and Bitter Melon…

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4027280/

It will regulate blood sugar levels and if people are on diabetes medication they may need to lower or stop it when eating Bitter Melon (consult and work with doctor).

 

Bitter Melon vs Head and Neck Cancer

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131118080802.htm

 

Bitter Melon vs Breast Cancer

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100223131956.htm

http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=1896190

 

Bitter Melon vs Pancreatic Cancer

http://www.cancerdefeated.com/this-bitter-fruit-is-having-sweet-success-against-cancer/2302/

 

Other health properties…and they say here that eating a LOT of Bitter Melon can cause problems. If you keep it to a reasonable portion size (a cup or less) it shouldn’t be a problem. The American way of thinking that if some is good, a lot MUST be better is wrong most of the time…moderation is the way to go the majority of the time (and certainly in this case)…

http://bittermelon.org/heal/healthbenefits

 

Here’s a question…do any of you folks who eat Bitter Melon in your culture/family have any thoughts about eating it during pregnancy or breast feeding? The American info says no during pregnancy because of the possibility of miscarriage, and no during breast feeding. The HIV & Bitter Melon article talks about midwives in the Philippines giving Bitter Melon to newborns to stimulate their immune systems. If that’s the case, it doesn’t seem like breast feeding should be an issue if you’re eating it in moderate amounts. However, I’d like to learn more. Since it’s so commonly eaten by folks in China, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, India and other countries, I’d like to know what they do there since they’ve been eating this stuff for centuries (originating in India and then in China since the 1300s). We have had CSA members in the past of Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese origins who’ve asked their mothers and grandmothers who all talked about eating Bitter Melon while pregnant without incident.

Indonesian website says yes for breastfeeding and Bitter Melon…

http://prenagen.com/ph/benefits-of-bitter-gourd-for-the-breast-milk-flow

Another site says no but comments of women who are eating it and feel fine…

http://www.sweetadditions.net/food-drinks/is-bitter-gourd-safe-during-pregnancy

And here it is in an academic paper on a list of foods RECOMMENDED to eat while breastfeeding…

http://www.academia.edu/4768557/List_of_FOOD_AVOID_-_Pregnancy_and_Feeding

 

Feel free to get in touch with any questions, recipes, etc., and lastly, as I always mention in the CSA emails…any info I send you that’s not directly about the functioning of the CSA - take what you like and leave the rest!

 I hope you enjoy (or at least start to learn to enjoy) this rare treat! 😊

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