

The melons are also stir-fried with other vegetables and meats to balance out the bitter flavor, served with yogurt, cooked into omelets, or steeped into a tea. Indian bitter melons are popularly stuffed, breaded, and fried, tossed into curries, soups, and stews, or mashed with potatoes as a side dish.

It is also recommended to soak the melon in salt water for at least twenty minutes to help reduce the bitterness. The seeds and pith are very bitter and should be removed before cooking. Indian bitter melons are considered unpalatable when raw, and are best suited for cooked applications such as frying, boiling, and sautéing. In Ayurvedic medicine, bitter melon has been used for centuries to help regulate blood sugar levels in diabetic patients, aid in digestion, and reduce symptoms associated with migraines. The melons also contain antioxidants such as vitamins A and C and provide some magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and quinine, which gives the fruit its bitter taste. Indian bitter melons are an excellent source of potassium, which can help balance fluid levels in the body, and are a good source of iron and fiber.

Also known as the Bitter cucumber, Bitter squash, Balsam-Pear, and Bitter gourd in English, Nigauri and Goya in Japanese, Karela in Hindi, Peria in Malay, and Ampalaya in Tagalog, Indian bitter melons are grown in tropical and subtropical climates and are used as both a culinary and medicinal ingredient. There are two main types of bitter melon, labeled as Indian and Chinese, and Indian bitter melons are widely cultivated around the world for their uniquely shaped fruits. Indian bitter melons, botanically classified as Momordica charantia, are bitter, hanging fruits that grow on a climbing vine belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. Indian bitter melons are in the summer through early winter. Indian bitter melons are considered unpalatable when raw, and once cooked, they develop a tender consistency with a sharp, bitter flavor. Underneath the surface, the flesh is crisp, firm, white, and aqueous, encasing a small cavity filled with seeds and pith.
#MOOM PLAZA GOURMET SKIN#
The skin also ripens from green to yellow-orange when mature. The skin is thick, bumpy, waxy, and rough, covered in many small, irregularly shaped ridges known as teeth. Indian bitter melons are small to medium-sized fruits, averaging 10 to 25 centimeters in length, and have a narrow, cylindrical shape with tapered, pointed ends.
