bitter melon
 

Once in a rare while, I make a recipe that calls for bitter melon. It
was originally one of those "I doubt they'll like it" things, but they
did.

The melon itself requires salting, rinsing and blanching before use,
because it really *is* quite bitter.

I picked up a few of good, fresh quality at the Halal market in Reston
VA on the way home today, planning to can it in half-pint sizes to have
portions of just the amount I need without having to drive miles to
Shiva Grocers and find half-wilted stuff that's only barely what I want.

I'm planning on using the PFB recipe for pressure-canning zucchini; any
other comments or suggestions?

....Blanche

bitter melon
 

Blanche Nonken > wrote:

> Once in a rare while, I make a recipe that calls for bitter melon. It
> was originally one of those "I doubt they'll like it" things, but they
> did.
>
> The melon itself requires salting, rinsing and blanching before use,
> because it really *is* quite bitter.
>
> I picked up a few of good, fresh quality at the Halal market in Reston
> VA on the way home today, planning to can it in half-pint sizes to have
> portions of just the amount I need without having to drive miles to
> Shiva Grocers and find half-wilted stuff that's only barely what I want.
>
> I'm planning on using the PFB recipe for pressure-canning zucchini; any
> other comments or suggestions?
>
> ...Blanche

Follow-up:

Three nice, fresh "melons" (more like warty, nobbly cucumbers) slightly
longer than 12 inches long after cleaning and slicing yielded 5
half-pints. I salted them down last night, rinsed well this morning
then blanched them before canning. There was enough residual salt left
in the melon to salt the water.

40 minutes left them a little pale, but not mushy-looking. I'll make
that recipe in the next few days, and I'll let you all know how they
came out.

bitter melon
 

On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 03:13:23 GMT, Blanche Nonken >
wrote:

>Three nice, fresh "melons" (more like warty, nobbly cucumbers) slightly
>longer than 12 inches long after cleaning and slicing yielded 5
>half-pints. I salted them down last night, rinsed well this morning
>then blanched them before canning. There was enough residual salt left
>in the melon to salt the water.
>
>40 minutes left them a little pale, but not mushy-looking. I'll make
>that recipe in the next few days, and I'll let you all know how they
>came out.

Please post recipe. I grew bitter mellon one year, but couldn't find
much to do with them.

bitter melon
 

in article , Frogleg at
wrote on 1/1/04 8:45 am:

> On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 03:13:23 GMT, Blanche Nonken >
> wrote:
>
>> Three nice, fresh "melons" (more like warty, nobbly cucumbers) slightly
>> longer than 12 inches long after cleaning and slicing yielded 5
>> half-pints. I salted them down last night, rinsed well this morning
>> then blanched them before canning. There was enough residual salt left
>> in the melon to salt the water.
>>
>> 40 minutes left them a little pale, but not mushy-looking. I'll make
>> that recipe in the next few days, and I'll let you all know how they
>> came out.
>
> Please post recipe. I grew bitter mellon one year, but couldn't find
> much to do with them.
OT Bitter melon with beef
from Craig Claiborne and Virginia Lee " the Chinese Cookbook"
1 bitter melonn,3/4 lb
5 tablespoons fermented salted black beans
3 tablespoons water
5 to 10 small fresh red or green long hot peppers3 cloves garlic, peeled and
flattened but left whole
3/4 pound flank steak
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
peanut, vegetable or corn oil
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
salt to taste
1 tablespoon dry sherry or shao hsing wine

1. trim off and discard the ends of the bitter melon split the vegetable in
half. Place each half cut side down and cut into thin slices, about 1/4
inch. Using paring knife or melon ball cutter, cut out and discard the
white center portion of each slice. Reserve the pieces of green outer shell
2. Bring to boil enough water to cover the bitter melon Drop the slices in
and cook 3 minutes drain and run under cold running water drain well.
3. soak the black beans in the water and crush them lightly with the back of
a spoon. set aside
4. cut off the stem ends of the peppers and slice in half. Remove seeds
and julienne. come with garlic and set aside.
5. Put beef on flat surface and cut into thinnest possible slices Put
slices into mixing bowl and add cornstarch, 1 tablespoon oil and soy sauce
6. Heat 1 cup oil and when hot but not smoking, add the beef and cook,
stirring to separate the slices. Cook only about 20 to 30 seconds. drain
into a sieve lined bowl to catch the drippings
7Heat 3 tablespoons of oil and add the black beans. stir. Add the pepper
strips ad garlic and cook about 15 seconds, stirring add the bitter melon
and cook about 30 second, stirring Stir in sugar and then salt. cook and
stir about 15 second, then add the wine.
8Add the beef and cook, stirring, just to heat through

I realize you can't can this. Other recipes sstuff the blanced rings with
group pork or shrimp paste.

Ellen

bitter melon
 

Frogleg > wrote:

> On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 03:13:23 GMT, Blanche Nonken >
> wrote:
>
> >Three nice, fresh "melons" (more like warty, nobbly cucumbers) slightly
> >longer than 12 inches long after cleaning and slicing yielded 5
> >half-pints. I salted them down last night, rinsed well this morning
> >then blanched them before canning. There was enough residual salt left
> >in the melon to salt the water.
> >
> >40 minutes left them a little pale, but not mushy-looking. I'll make
> >that recipe in the next few days, and I'll let you all know how they
> >came out.
>
> Please post recipe. I grew bitter mellon one year, but couldn't find
> much to do with them.

RECIPE NOT FOR CANNING
This is a Bengali dish, from "The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking" by
Yamuna Devi. The author is a long-time member of ISKCON, the "Hare
Krishna" people. I'm not fond of the organization itself, but I like
this (huge) cookbook. Food is the common thread on this planet, might
as well enjoy it. :-)

Garden Vegetable Stew with Almond Pesto and Fried Dumplings
"Badaam Shukta"

"Bengalis love this dish as much as Italians love minestrone. Although
it is a traditional dish, there are numerous ways to prepare it. The
best shuktas are filled with fresh seasonal vegetables. You can serve
them almost crisp, as a garnish, or allow them to soak and soften for 5
minutes before serving. The final touch is a spoonful of smooth fresh
herb pesto. You could use toasted cashews or walnuts instead of almonds
in the pesto and, to save calories, cottage cheese in place of cream.
Serve with a dal, rice and fresh cheese dish for complementary
nutrition."

Preparation and blanching time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8

DUMPLINGS:
1/2 cup sifted chickpea flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp cayenne powder or paprika
1 tsp dry roasted coarsly crushed cumin seeds
1/2 tsp melted butter or oil
about 1/3 cup water
ghee or vegetable oil for shallow frying

Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, spices in a mixing bowl. Add
the butter/oil and stir to blend, then add the water - enough to make a
light, cake-like batter. Heat the ghee or oil in a pan, and when hot
but not smoking add the batter 1 tbsp at a time. Do 8 to 10 dumplings
in the pan at a time; these should puff up. Turn as they cook to a
crisp, golden brown. Drain after cooking, and keep warm in a warm oven
(about 200, 250 degrees)

PESTO:
1/3 cup each trimmed fresh coriander and sweet basil, washed and patted
dry (I used all basil, as I'm the only one who likes the fresh
coriander)
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
3 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp each freshly ground pepper and salt
1/2 cup heavy cream or low-fat cottage cheese

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree
until smooth. Cover and set aside - refrigerate if you're making this
well in advance.

STEW:
2 small green bitter melons, each about 2 ounces, or 20 dried bitter
melon slices, 1/4 inches thick
(Note: I used 1 small bitter melon and 1 zucchini, as I didn't want to
overwhelm my family with too unusual a flavor. It worked very nicely.)
3 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter
1/2 cassia or bay leaf
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 medium waxy potatoes, 3/4 inch dice
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water (we're not vegetarians, I used
chicken stock)
1/2 small head cauliflower, broken into flowerets
2 small zucchini
1/2 cup fresh peas or black-eyed peas
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black mustard seed
1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp fenugreek seed
1/8 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp fresh-chopped coriander or parsley

Blanch the fresh slices of bitter melon in salted boiling water. Boil
for 4 minutes, then strain. Shake off water and pat the slices dry.
Heat the ghee/butter to hot but not smoking, fry the slices of melon
until reddish-brown. Remove the browned ones to drain, set aside.

If you are using the dried slices, drop them in the pan and toss with a
spoon, frying until crisp. They will brown very quickly, in about 30
seconds. Remove to drain.

Add the cassia/bay leaf and tomatoes to the remaining hot oil and fry
for about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and stock/water, bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and zucchini, simmer for 10 more minutes. Add the
peas, turmeric, ground coriander and salt. Simmer for another 10
minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the pan from the
heat, add the fried bitter melon and set aside, covered.

Combine the remaining dry spices and add to a hot, dry skillet. dry
roast the spices slowly over low heat until the fenugreek seeds turn a
golden-brown. Grind to a coarse powder in a coffee mill or
mortar/pestle.

Before serving, stir in the spices and fresh chopped coriander/parsley.
Spoon into bowls, add a few dumplings and a generous spoonful of the
pesto.

bitter melon
 

On Thu, 01 Jan 2004 15:45:17 GMT, Frogleg > wrote:

>On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 03:13:23 GMT, Blanche Nonken >
>wrote:
>
>>Three nice, fresh "melons" (more like warty, nobbly cucumbers) slightly
>>longer than 12 inches long after cleaning and slicing yielded 5
>>half-pints. I salted them down last night, rinsed well this morning
>>then blanched them before canning. There was enough residual salt left
>>in the melon to salt the water.
>>
>>40 minutes left them a little pale, but not mushy-looking. I'll make
>>that recipe in the next few days, and I'll let you all know how they
>>came out.
>
>Please post recipe. I grew bitter mellon one year, but couldn't find
>much to do with them.

Belated thanks for recipes. I must say that I was hoping for something
along the line of "saute slices with a teaspoon of sugar and some
onion" or "make pickles with a simple brine." :-) While I enjoyed
growing this interesting veg, I think I'd rather find culinary uses
for excess zucchini.

bitter melon
 

Frogleg > wrote:

> On Thu, 01 Jan 2004 15:45:17 GMT, Frogleg > wrote:
>
> >On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 03:13:23 GMT, Blanche Nonken >
> >wrote:
> >
> >>Three nice, fresh "melons" (more like warty, nobbly cucumbers) slightly
> >>longer than 12 inches long after cleaning and slicing yielded 5
> >>half-pints. I salted them down last night, rinsed well this morning
> >>then blanched them before canning. There was enough residual salt left
> >>in the melon to salt the water.
> >>
> >>40 minutes left them a little pale, but not mushy-looking. I'll make
> >>that recipe in the next few days, and I'll let you all know how they
> >>came out.
> >
> >Please post recipe. I grew bitter mellon one year, but couldn't find
> >much to do with them.
>
> Belated thanks for recipes. I must say that I was hoping for something
> along the line of "saute slices with a teaspoon of sugar and some
> onion" or "make pickles with a simple brine." :-) While I enjoyed
> growing this interesting veg, I think I'd rather find culinary uses
> for excess zucchini.

I think they'd make an interesting pickle. It would be better as a
brined pickle, might be interesting in a sweet pickle. But if the
bitter quality is unpleasant to you, then yeah, zucchini is the better
choice. :-)

bitter melon
 

On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 14:02:44 GMT, Blanche Nonken >
wrote:


>I think they'd make an interesting pickle. It would be better as a
>brined pickle, might be interesting in a sweet pickle. But if the
>bitter quality is unpleasant to you, then yeah, zucchini is the better
>choice. :-)

Have no clue as to taste. When I grew them, I couldn't find a recipe
and simply observed and gave away a few. In retrospect, it would seem
only reasonable to taste one, but I didn't. I might have been too full
of tomatoes & chiles. :-)

bitter melon
 

Frogleg > wrote in
:

> On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 14:02:44 GMT, Blanche Nonken >
> wrote:
>
>
>>I think they'd make an interesting pickle. It would be better as a
>>brined pickle, might be interesting in a sweet pickle. But if the
>>bitter quality is unpleasant to you, then yeah, zucchini is the better
>>choice. :-)
>
> Have no clue as to taste. When I grew them, I couldn't find a recipe
> and simply observed and gave away a few. In retrospect, it would seem
> only reasonable to taste one, but I didn't. I might have been too full
> of tomatoes & chiles. :-)
>

I can't believe you'd grow something you'd never tasted before and not
taste it when it finally ripened, however, I'm a glutton and would never
have missed the opportunity! <G>