198 322
WINE&DINE
198
July14
BEATE BALDRY forages for exciting Asian ingredients that are readily
available in Singapore, to discover their traditional uses and ways to
incorporate them into Western home cooking.
What it is
Bitter gourd grows off a vine as a pale
green, roughly oblong, knobbly and
wrinkly fruit. Its size, colour, texture and
degree of bitterness differ depending
on the variety and the region in which
it grows. It’s found in South America,
Asia, parts of Africa and the Caribbean.
The flavour
Bitter gourd is a fruit, but is treated more
like a vegetable in cooking. It has a
crunchy and watery texture and can be
extremely bitter. It’s an acquired taste;
some find it unpalatable. But don’t be
put off! It is extremely good for you,
and there are ways to tone down the
bitterness (see one in our box of tips).
This month’s ingredient:
Bitter gourd
(aliases: bitter melon, bitter squash)
Cook it at home
PREPARATION TIPS:
•
Wash the skin, which is edible,
then slice open the bitter
gourd and remove the seeds,
hollowing out the centre. Slice
into slivers and keep them
in cold water to retain their
crispness before cooking.
•
To remove some of the bitter
taste, sprinkle the dry bitter
gourd slices with salt and
leave for a while. This will
extract some of the bitter juices,
and you can squeeze out any
excess juice.
Where to find it
In the vegetable section of most
supermarkets. There are often two
types: a large, tubular version sold
loose; and a much smaller type with
a bumpier, more wrinkled exterior,
generally sold in packs of three.
Uses
•
In Southeast Asia, Japan and China,
bitter gourd is often used in stir-
fries, or cooked simply with egg
– scrambled or in an omelette,
sometimes with fresh or dried shrimp.
It is also used in salads – especially,
in Taiwan, Thailand and Japan.
•
Bitter gourd can be stuffed with
pork (in China) or coconut, jaggery
and ground nuts (in India), and then
steamed or fried.
•
It is used in Indian
curries, or made
into an
achar
(or
pickle) to be
served as a
side dish.
Health benefits
•
Bitter gourd is commercially available
as tea (from the fruit or leaves), juice,
extracts and pills.
•
Some clinical trials show bitter gourd
having anti-diabetic properties that
can lower blood glucose levels.
•
It is also used in traditional medicine
to help with colic, fever, burns, chronic
cough, painful menstruation and skin
conditions.
•
Research has shown that bitter gourd
can kill breast cancer cells and
prevent their growth.
•
Bitter gourd features prominently in
Okinawan cuisine, and is thought to
contribute to Okinawan longevity.