Greetings!
For those of you adventurous enough to try (or are already
fans of) the Bitter Melon we had at our CSA yesterday, here’s a LOT of info
about it. AND we might be getting it again in the next few weeks (or
not…farming is like that).
You may (or probably 😊) think it’s a bit much 😊
for giving you so much information, but if you’re not familiar with cooking or
eating this vegetable, knowledge is power (and useful). I’ve managed to unnerve
some people with all the info and they feel intimidated to try it but…bottom
line it’s only a vegetable 😊. Try it, you might like
it 😊. I’ve learned to love it over the years
(bitter is not a flavor profile we Americans are raised with or used to…for the
most part), and will eat it on a semi-regular basis as I can get a hold of it
(I’m a big fan of eating seasonally and this is our season for it…or may freeze
the veg or juice for later use), for health properties but also because I like
the different ways to prepare it (or dishes I can order in restaurants).
To make best use of this email and not spend too much time
at one time, browse over the entire email, and then go back to the info and
links you think would be the most interesting/helpful to you as time permits
(or your curiosity gets the best of you 😊). There’s info on the
basics, simple recipes, where to eat it in a restaurant, health properties and
contraindications (you should always check with your doctor/s if you’re on
medication or have specific chronic health conditions when bringing new foods
into your diet).
You can buy it (most likely non-organic) at any Asian or
South Asian supermarket any time of the year. On Long Island I believe the
closest to Huntington would be H Mart in Jericho near IKEA/Whole Foods, and a
number of markets in Hicksville (Apna Bazar, Badshah Market, Maharaja Market
and Patel Brothers).
Please let me know if any of the links are no longer
functional.
And please get in touch if you have any questions, (or know
of any other restaurants that serve it…will travel for Bitter Melon 😊…there
are two Filipino restaurants in Nassau County but haven’t been yet…I think
Kabayan Grill in East Meadow his Bitter Melon on their menu), etc.
Bitter Melon info
Keep in mind…any time you try a food you’ve never
eaten before…
- Do some reading about what it is, and find out if there
are medical contraindications if you’re on medication or have health
issues
- Eat a single serving size and give it 24 hours to see
how your body reacts (some of the vegetable might be fine, but eating a
lot of it might not)
- When in doubt of 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
- Any questions, don’t hesitate to ask
Over the years we’ve had the South Asian/Indian variety (the
one we got this week) and the Chinese variety.
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). When it’s fully ripe
(yellow/orange, and if it’s REALLY ripe it goes Alien and explodes with bright
red seeds popping out) and NEVER eaten for culinary purposes at the fully ripe
stage.
Here’s 2 simple recipes…
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 and I’d add Soy Sauce/Tamari/Braggs Amino at the end)…
http://www.daydaycook.com/recipe/1/details/1023/Bitter-Melon-Scrambled-Eggs.html
Cooking with Bitter Melon…
http://bittermelon.org/learn/cookingbittermelon
This has info about how to freeze Bitter Melon AND
Bitter Melon juice (though it’s odd that in certain sections instead of
Bitter Melon, the author replaced Bitter Melon with Allspice…go figure 😊…my
guess is that she was cutting and pasting and didn’t make the necessary
changes…I know that’s how I manage to do it 😊)…
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…
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 (or leave all of it 😊)!
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