Bitter Melon

[livingentity 0]

I went to the grocers today and was very pleasantly surprised to find bitter melon. This is the first time I have ever seen it in this state!!

 

Anyway, it has been so long since I have had it that I can not remember how to prepare it to cook. I can't remember if I soak it in salty water or coat it in salt before I fry it.

 

Help!!

 

I had a second pleasant surprise when I found ghee at the same store.

 

I felt like I had fallen into a different dimension!!

[livingentity 0]

if I remember correctly I sliced it; removed the seeds, and soaked it for a while in very salty water. Then squeezed the water out and then fried it.

 

 

[Guest guest]

I have always thought that bitter meon must be an aquired taste. I can see eating it because i have heard it is good for you, but do you actually like?

[Guest guest]

I ment melon /images/graemlins/blush.gif

[theist 1]

Yeah they don't call it bitter melon for nothing. The first time I tried it I steamed it. Big mistake. Then I put it in soup. Couldn't eat it. Then I fried it until it was black and put lots of salt on it. Now I crave it.

 

I never heard about soaking it first. I'll try that next.

[livingentity 0]

Soaking it in the salt cuts the bitterness. I do like it and was thrilled to find it.

 

I understand that the Vietnamese bitter melon is different from India and less bitter. I think that is what I got yesterday.

 

I plan to prepare it and offer it later today.

 

Have you ever had bitter melon pickle? Yummy!! Very good. As there is so much salt in pickle the bitterness is a non-issue.

[livingentity 0]

is one of things that bitter melon is good for. You can even purchase it in capsule form just for that purpose.

 

Isn't it suggested in ayurveda medicine to eat some with each meal? Seems I remember reading that somewhere.

[Guest guest]

Regarding diabetes, yes that is what i have heard also. That's why i could see someone eating it for health reasons. Maybe it helps regulate the blood surgar level. But it is hard to think of it as a nice tasting preparation.

[theist 1]

Never tried the pickle. I've read that people use the unripe juice for diabetes as well. Maybe that's why I crave it as I have high blood sugar tendancies.

 

I've seen a couple types. The small ones and the larger variety. Do we grow this in the US?

 

I just remebered these small brown fruits I tried in India. I can't remeber the name of them. Chikus? Something like that. There were soooooo good. We should grow them here I think.

 

I don't how I went from bitter melon to Chikus. They couldn't be more opposite.

[livingentity 0]

there are some bitter melon farmers around mostly in areas with a large vietnamese community. I am going to try to grow some from the seeds I took out of these. Not sure how they will do in the desert but I have a flower bed that is protected from the sand and wind and I keep it wet with a little sprinkler all summer so it is very humid. The flowers do very well there so maybe the bitter melon might like it there also.

 

Chikus? Describe please! Do they grow on a tree, bush? I always like to try new eatables.

[theist 1]

I am not sure of the spelling. Nor on how they grow. For all I know they grow on street vending carts. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

They are small and round like a ping pong ball. Brownish very thin skin. They are very sweet and are best when they appear to be overipe. At that stage they have a taste that, to me, has a hint of chocolate with a hint of vannila also,on top of their own unique flavor. I'm sure others would describe them differently. Yumm

 

Anybody out there know what I am talking about. Grow them in America and you will become exceedingly rich.

[livingentity 0]

Soaked the bitter melon strips in very very salty water for a couple of hours. Not sure if I needed to do it that long but I got busy and just left it there.

 

Then I drained the water off and fried the bitter melon in ghee until very dark.

 

Came out very good! Has just a slight bite of bitterness which is good and the ghee gave it a very rich and aromatic flavor.

 

Next project - Chikus!!

[livingentity 0]

So if I get a street vending cart it will grow chikus?

 

Here is something I found on an ayurveda site about chikus:

 

FRUITS

Chiku

 

There are three types of chikus :-

1) Oval shaped chikus 2) Medium oval shaped chiku 3) Round chiku

The first type is considered to be the best of all the three.

Properties

Chiku is cool, sweet, and heavy to digest and relishing. It eliminates the excessive bile in the body.

 

Uses:

Only ripe chiku fruit is used.

 

 

The use of ripe chiku in our diet gives agility and freshness. It activates the performances of intestines. Its use after the meal is very beneficial.

 

 

Eating chiku in the morning which has been soaked in butter for the whole night, cures impurities due to the bile and is also beneficial in fever.

 

A semi liquid of chiku's skin (boiled) is given to children in their loose motion. It is also beneficial in fever.

Note

Chiku is diuretic and contains sugar hence it should not be used by a diabetic patient. Beetel leaf should not be chewed instantly after eating jackfruit, as it may turn out to be fatal.

 

 

[theist 1]

Everything seems to be on the web. Three kinds. I only had the round ones I guess. Yeah they are very sugary. I would eat a whole big bag at one sitting and nothing else.

I am sure it wasn't good for me but I couldn't resist.I just couldn't stop.

 

I wonder if they would grow here?

[Guest guest]

I talked with a Bengali devotee, he said he and his wife have it every day. The most healthy way to have it is if it is boiled or steamed. It looses less nutrients that way, but that is also the way it is most bitter and difficult for most to people to eat. What he does, is after he steams them (the little ones are best, not the large Chinese ones) he mashes them up with potatoes and adds salt, tumeric and i think he said pepper. Mashed in with potatoes makes them more palatable.

[Guest guest]

Actually, that must have been Quayle's recipe. I meant potatos.

[theist 1]

with an e is alright. in fact in Idaho their license plates spell it with an e. A more authoritative source can't be found.

[Guest guest]

the bengali devotee forgot to tell you mustard oil. Bengalis can't eat without mustard oil.

 

Funny about this topics, in my environment we have karela (bitter melon) like 3 times a week. Just cooked with the potatoes with all the seeds. No soaking. People love it or hate it no middle ground here.

 

I love chikus, sometimes we get them, I don't know from where, better I start paying attention to the boxes. I take for granted all the stuff we get in and now reading from Debbie and Living Entity I realized how hard is for some to get some stuff.

 

I just rediscovered Vicco toothpowder. It's great for the gums and cured a wound I had in it in just a day. I went back to the indian products. Does anybody ever tried a toothpaste called "Meswak". I used it in South India and now I got it here in the local Indian grocery store. What is the miswak plant?

 

Atma

[Guest guest]

got what "meon" means. That was the nickname of one of my brothers. Poor thing we harrased him so much. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

Atma

[theist 1]

Forget the toothpaste where do you get the Chikus????

[livingentity 0]

I use Vicco toothpaste and just asked one of my friend's in India to send the powder to me. I have heard it is excellent!! Their toothpaste is very good. So is their turmeric/sandalwood oil skin cream - smells really good too.

 

Whenever I find anything like bitter melon - it is like festival time!

 

Now I really want to try the chikus. I saw a recipe on the web today for chikus burfi!

 

[atma 0]

2 blocks from where I live.

 

 

[Gauracandra 1]

You know, I never used to like bitter melon. But one day I decided to give it another shot, and found that I actually rather enjoyed it. Now I don't have a problem with it.

[livingentity 0]

I enjoy it very much and hope to continue to find it here. I saved the seeds from one of them and will try to grow it myself.

 

I really would like to try the chikus also if I can ever find them.

[Guest guest]

atma has them just two blocks from her house. She was rubbing it in a couple posts back.

 

I need a SF connection.