Definition: This strange looking gourd resembles a cucumber with a rough, pockmarked skin. The flavor is also unusual - like cilantro, it's an acquired taste. Fortunately, blanching bitter melon before cooking will help reduce the bitter taste. (You can also degorge it as you would with eggplant). Another solution is to pair bitter melon with strong flavors such as black beans, which counteracts the bitterness. In one well-known Chinese recipe bitter melon is stuffed with pork, garlic, and mashed black beans, and steamed. Bitter melon has long been thought to have medicinal value, and has been used to treat low blood sugar and infections. More recently it has been used to treat HIV. Photograph of Bitter Melon
Written by Rhonda Parkinson
Also Known As: Balsam Pear, Foo Gwa
Examples: Recipe Using Bitter Melon: Bitter Melon Stir-fry
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