Best 13 Bitter Melon Recipes

KARELA (BITTER MELON OR GOURD)

Steps:

• Rinse bitter melon.
• Trim on both ends as needed and scrape any blemishes or hard skin.
• Cut into small rounds.
• Heat the oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.
• Add karela almost in a single layer; stir and cook until brownish.
• Reduce the heat if they tend to burn.
• Add the onions, potatoes and all the seasonings; stir until the potatoes are cooked.
• Add the tomatoes.
• Cook slowly on medium low heat, half covered, stirring as needed, until everything is cooked.
• Variation: To make STUFFED KARELA: Mix all the seasonings for stuffing, substituting 1 teaspoon cumin powder for cumin seeds.
• Using a paring knife, make a long slit in each karela, from one end to another (leaving two ends and bottom of the pod intact).
• Keep the slit open with your thumb and use a spoon to fill the opening with the stuffing.
• Stuff all the karela this way.
• Cook karela in a wide skillet using 2 tablespoons oil, almost in a single layer, on medium heat.
• Stir gently so that stuffing does not come out.
• When half cooked, add the onions.
• Reduce heat to medium low, cooking slowly, half covered or uncovered, until karela are browned.

PORK STUFFED BITTER MELON

Steps:

• Place shrimp in a bowl and pour in enough water to cover; set aside until shrimp are rehydrated, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water together in a bowl until a smooth paste forms. Mix sugar, soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon salt into cornstarch paste until marinade is well combined. Stir pork into marinade moving the spoon in one direction.
• Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat; fry shrimp until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add shrimp to pork mixture, stirring in 1 direction until it reaches a paste-like consistency.
• Sprinkle salt over bitter melon and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil; add bitter melon and cook for 3 minutes. Drain well.
• Stuff each bitter melon slice with pork mixture and sprinkle cornstarch evenly over each.
• Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and fry stuffed bitter melon until brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer bitter melon to a serving plate.
• Mix 1/2 cup water, oyster sauce, and 1 teaspoon sugar together in a bowl until oyster sauce mixture is smooth.
• Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in the same skillet over high heat. Cook and stir black bean-garlic sauce, red pepper, and garlic until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add oyster sauce mixture and stir until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add stuffed bitter melons and simmer, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water together in a small bowl until a smooth paste forms; stir into skillet until sauce is thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

GOYA CHAMPURU (BITTER MELON STIR FRY)

Steps:

• Cut tips off melons with a sharp knife; cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out white interior and seeds with a spoon. Rinse the melon and cut into very small pieces. Place in a bowl and generously add kosher salt, mixing until melon is completely covered. Cover and refrigerate until flavors combine, 3 to 4 hours.
• Rinse melon to remove excess salt. Place into a pot and cover with room temperature or cool water; cover and bring to a boil. Cook until melon has softened slightly, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; drain the melon.
• Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; season with garlic salt and garlic pepper. Stir-fry just until the pink on the surface of the pork disappears, 3 to 4 minutes. Add melon and stir fry until soft, about 2 minutes more.
• Reduce heat to medium. Push pork mixture to the edges of the skillet with a spatula. Crack eggs into the center of the skillet; scramble until firm, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir contents of the skillet together until combined. Season with soy sauce.

STEAMED STUFFED BITTER MELON

Steps:

• PREP:.
• Finely mince the water chestnuts.
• Trim the ends off the bitter melons ans slice into 1 inch slices.
• Using a small paring knife, carefully cut out the pulp and seeds in the center of each slive, leaving onlu the melon wall.
• Rub the inside of each slice with coating of cornstarch.
• METHOD:.
• the slices:.
• Combine all of the stuffing ingredients in a large bowl.
• Mix them thoroughly using freshly washed hands.
• Rub more starch into the inner surfce of each slice of bitter melon, then stuff the cavity of each slive with a generous spoonful of stuffing, enough to completely fill the cavity.
• As the slices are stuffed, arrange them on a plate and set the plate in a steamer with water coming within an inch of the plate Cover and steam for 20 minutes.
• Arrange hte coked slices on a serving plats, reserving the juices on the plate for the sauce.
• the sauce:.
• In a separate wok or pan, heat 2 T.
• peanut oil, add the garlic and black beans, then stir fry for a minute or two, then add the Shaoxing wine, chicken stock and salt.
• Add the reserved juices from the steaming of the melon slices.
• Bring the mixture to a boil.
• Thicken with the dissolved cornstarch and flavor eith sesame oil.
• Pur sauce over bitter melon and serve with white rice.

NO-FRY KARELA CRISPIES (BITTER MELON)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to about 375°F.
• Wash the bitter melon and slice them using a mandolin slicer into thin round slices.
• Mix with salt, turmeric and chilli powder and marinate for about 1/2 an hour. Squeeze excess moisture out.
• Spread foil on a baking tray and grease it with about a tbsp oil. Toss the bitter melon slices with 2 tbsp oil and spread them on the baking tray.
• Bake for about 5-7 mins and then broil it for 7 minutes Depending on the type of your oven, the broiling might be a few mins more or less. Crispy Karela -- without frying!

BITTER MELON STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the hot oil until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Mix the pork into the onion and garlic; cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir the prawns into the mixture and cook until no longer translucent, about 5 minutes more. Add the tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes. Stir the bitter melon through the mixture and cook until the melon is tender, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

STUFFED BITTER MELON

Steps:

• Mince pork and combine with remainder of ingredients. Mix well.
• Cut bitter melon in half, scoop out and discard seeds and white pulp in center, parboil for 3 minutes and drain.
• Heap meat mixture into each melon half.
• Arrange melon on a trivet in a heatproof baking dish which has 2 inches of boiling water at bottom.
• Cover tightly and bake for 30 -45 minutes.

BITTER MELON AND BRINJAL (EGGPLANT) RELISH

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the bitter melon and eggplant to the boiling water and return to a boil; cook at a boil for 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water to stop from cooking further.
• Toss the bitter melon, eggplant, carrot, garlic, green chile peppers, and sweet onion in a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• Stir the water, vinegar, ginger, sugar, and salt together in a pot; bring to a boil until the sugar has dissolved completely. Set aside to cool completely. Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the vegetables in the bowl, assuring the vegetables are completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold.

BITTER MELON AND EGGS/ MARA PAD KAI

Steps:

• Cut the bitter melon in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and slice each half crosswise in thin pieces.
• Beat the eggs in a bowl with 1 to 2 tsp of light soy sauce and a dash of ground white pepper.
• Heat a wok until its surface begins to smoke.
• Swirl in the oil and let heat 10 to 15 seconds.
• Add the bitter melon and sauté in the oil for about one minute.
• Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and continue to sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until the melon starts to soften.
• Spread the melon pieces thinly over the wok surface.
• Pour the beaten eggs evenly over the melon pieces.
• Let eggs set about half a minute, then flip the mixture over to cook the other side.
• Cook until eggs are set and lightly browned.

BITTER MELON RELISH RECIPE - (3.9/5)

Steps:

• Slice the bitter melon length ways and remove the white pith and seeds. Blanch in boiling hot water for 30 seconds. Remove from water and finely chop. To easily peel the tomato place in boiling water for 2 minutes. Skin should easily peel back. Then seed and chop finely. Seed and chop the rest of the vegetables and place in the large bowl with the red tomato and bitter melon and mix well. Mix the vegetables with the salt and let stand for an hour or overnight. Drain the vegetables and put in a large pot. Add 2/4 cups of the vinegar and the water, and bring slowly to a boil. Drain again. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, turmeric, cloves and allspice to a smooth paste with a little of the vinegar. Bring the remaining vinegar to a boil, stir in the paste, and add the white mustard seeds and the vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn into hot jars and seal. http://www.not-too-sweet.com/bitter-melon-relish/

BITTER MELON STIR FRY

Steps:

• 1. To prepare the bitter melon, cut in half length-wise. Remove the seeds and clean out the white pith inside. Cut into slices on a slant.
• 2. Sprinkle the slices with some salt and place in a collander to drain for about 15 minutes.
• 3. In a small bowl mash the chili pepper flakes and the garlic.
• 4. Heat a wok or deep saute pan on medium high and add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic/chili mixture. Stir-fry briefly until aromatic (about 30 seconds).
• 5. Add the bitter melon, and stir fry for 2 minutes, then splas with the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Stir in the sweetener and cook for 1-2 more minutes until the melon is browing and softened.
• 6. Stir in a couple of drops of sesame oil if desired.
• 7. Serve Hot and Enjoy!

STEAMED STUFFED BITTER MELON

Steps:

• 1. Soak fermented black beans. 2. Mince pork and garlic. Mash soaked beans and add to meat along with soy sauce, sherry and salt. Blend in well. 3. Cut bitter melons lengthwise in half. With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and spongy white pulp at the center. Stuff with meat mixture. 4. Arrange bitter melon, stuffing-side up, on a heatproof dish. Steam until done (about 30 minutes). See HOW-TO, _Steaming. VARIATION: * For the pork stuffing, substitute 1/2 pound fish fillets, 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon sugar and 1/8 cup water blended together. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

OKINAWA STIR-FRIED BITTER MELON (GOYA CHANPURU)

Steps:

• Cut the bitter melon along its length then use a spoon to take the white part with seeds found at the center. Slice the bitter melon thinly then soak it in water with 2 teaspoons of salt. The water should just be a moderate amount, just enough to cover the bitter melon. Soak for about 30 minutes then drain before using.
• Slice the onion thinly. Wash and drain the bean sprouts, then whisk two pieces of eggs in a bowl.
• Heat a pan using medium-high heat then add a tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the onions then stir and cook until it is soft.
• Add the thinly sliced pork then stir and cook until it has browned. Make sure to leave the pork at room temperature for about 20 minutes before cooking so that it will be cooked equally.
• When the pork is cooked through, add the drained bitter melon in the pan then continue to stir-fry. Cook until the bitter melon has softened.
• Add the bean sprouts then adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Stir fry for about a minute then pour over the whisked egg. Cook while stirring occasionally until the egg is slightly firm.
• Remove from heat then serve with some katsuoboshi on top.