Bitter gourd also know as bitter melon is a green-skinned vegetable with white to translucent flesh and a taste that fits its name. Unless you grew up with bitter gourd as part of your regular diet, it might take you a while to warm up to the bitter flavor. Bitter gourd is also a vegetable of many names. It is equally known as bitter melon, bitter cucumber, balsam-pear, bitter apple, or bitter squash. This vegetable is also called karela in India, nigauri in Japan, goya in Okinawa, ampalaya in the Philippines, and ku-gua throughout China.  They are small to medium gourds, and have a long and slender, oblong shape with slightly tapered ends. The gourd's surface will vary depending on the specific type, ranging from deeply creased, smooth, pale green, and ridged to rough, dark green, and heavily textured with warts and bumps.  Underneath the thin skin, the flesh is crisp, watery, and pale green, encasing a central cavity filled with spongy pith and large, cream-colored seeds. Bitter Gourds are harvested when they are young and green, containing a sharp, astringent, and vegetal flavor.

Health Benefits

As a rich source of antioxidants, flavonoids, and other polyphenol compounds, bitter gourd may help to reduce your risks for a number of health issues. Bitter gourd is an excellent source of vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, boost collagen production, and reduce inflammation. The gourds are also a good source of vitamin A to maintain healthy organ functioning, potassium to balance fluid levels within the body, provide some calcium to protect bones and teeth, and contain lower amounts of folate, iron, zinc, and fiber. Beyond vitamins and minerals, Bitter gourds contain cucurbitacins, compounds in the flesh that give the gourd its bitter flavor.

Usage

Bitter gourds have an astringent, bitter flavor well suited for cooked preparations, including stir-frying, baking, sautéing, steaming, boiling, braising, and stewing. The melon’s sharp flavor complements rich, fatty, and spicy ingredients and is often utilized in different culinary styles found within Asian cuisine. They can be consumed raw, but the gourds should be deseeded, salted, and left for approximately 30 to 45 minutes to draw excess moisture and bitterness. Once the bitter flavor is lessened, the melons can be sliced for salads, chopped into dips and spreads, or blended into juices. Bitter gourds are also traditionally blanched before use or salted to tame the astringent notes before cooking. The melons can be stirred into soups and curries, stuffed and baked as a main dish, stir-fried with vegetables and meat, or cooked and coated in rich sauces. They can also be sliced and roasted as a simple side dish, cut and fried as a rice accompaniment, or pieces of the flesh can be dried and steeped as a healing and cleansing tea. Bitter gourds pairs well with coconut milk, aromatics including lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and onions, chile peppers, tomatoes, green beans, eggplant, black beans, yogurt, pork, beef, and poultry, and seafood including fish, shrimp and crab.

Storage

Bitter Gourd will keep 4-5 days when stored in a sealed bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.