How to cook bitter melon (balsam pear)

Information for bitter melon (balsam pear) in our free cooking ingredients collection.

Bitter melon (balsam pear)

About 4 to 10 inches long, bitter melons are shaped like cucumbers and have wrinkled, bumpy skin. The vegetable’s name is derived from its distinctive bitter taste, the result of a high quinine content. The bitterness increases as the melon matures; young, green melons have a delicate, sour flavor, whereas older (yellow) ones are very bitter and acrid. When fully mature, the melon’s rind dries and splits lengthwise into three sections, revealing the bright-red arils that enclose the seeds. Bitter melons are normally eaten as immature fruits, but some people prefer the bitter-tasting, more mature fruits.

Family - Cucurbitaceae
Scientific name - Momordica charantia
Common name - bitter melon, balsam pear, bitter cucumber, bitter gourd

High in vitamin C

Varieties

The bitter melon is a variety of squash. A closely related variety, the balsam apple (Momordica balsamita), bears fruits similar to bitter melons except that they are egg-shaped and smaller, with smoother skin. Balsam apples, which have a taste similar to that of the bitter melon, are also cultivated, harvested, and prepared like the bitter melon.

Origin and botanical facts

Bitter melons originated in tropical India and have been cultivated for centuries throughout Asia.

The bitter melon is an annual that grows in tropical and subtropical areas. Reaching up to 30 feet in length, the plant grows as a vine with tendrils that attach to plants or other objects for support. Although highly popular as a food crop in India, China, and southeast Asia, bitter melons have been introduced only recently as a food item in U.S. markets. In this country, bitter melons are often grown on trellises and fences as decorative plants.

How to cook bitter melon (balsam pear)

Bitter melons are available fresh from April through September in Asian markets and also are sold canned or dried. They can be refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to a week. When buying bitter melons, choose green ones if a less bitter taste is desired or yellow ones for a stronger, more bitter flavor. Before it is cooked, the fruit should be cut lengthwise to remove the seeds and the surrounding white fibers. The skin can be either left intact or removed. Bitter melons are always cooked before eating. In India, bitter melons are combined with potatoes or lentils and seasoned with cumin and turmeric. In China, they are steamed or used as an ingredient in soup. They can be thinly sliced and stir-fried with eggs, meats, or other vegetables. Stuffed with meat, shrimp, wood ears, and thin rice noodles, bitter melons can be braised in a light broth to make a bittersweet soup. The young leaves of the plant can be boiled and stir-fried like greens or used fresh in salads.

• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Cassava
• Cauliflower
• Celeriac
• Celery
• Chayote
• Chicory
• Chinese cabbage
• Collards

• Rambutan
• Rhubarb
• Sapodilla
• Tamarind
• Tangerine
• Vegetables
• Amaranth
• Artichoke
• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Bamboo
• Beets

Pagination   [1]   [2]   [3]   [4]   [5]   [6]   [7]

Cooking ingredients  •  cooking-ingredients.com © 2009

Sitemap  •   Privacy policy  •   Contact