Why bitter gourd bitter melon contains a substance called cucurbitacin, so it tastes bitter. If cooked properly, bitter taste of bitter gourd can be turned into sweet taste.
Bitterness removing method
Stir-fry: stir-fry bitter gourd and pepper together to relieve bitterness.
Pickling: Sprinkle salt on the sliced melon and marinate for a while, then stir-fry, which can not only reduce the bitterness, but also retain the flavor of bitter gourd.
Water blanching: Cut bitter gourd into pieces and boil it in water, then soak it in cold water. Although the bitterness can be eliminated, the taste of bitter gourd is lost.
Shui Piao: Cut the bitter gourd, remove the seeds, shred it, then rinse it with cold water, gently rub it with your hands while washing, change the water for a while, and then wash it again. If washed three or four times repeatedly, bitter juice will be lost with water. After cooked, the processed bitter gourd tastes delicious and slightly bitter.
Why do you want to blanch bitter gourd? The reason why you need to blanch bitter gourd before eating is because the oxalic acid content of bitter gourd is relatively high, with 459 mg per 100 g bitter gourd. These oxalic acids combine with calcium in the body to form calcium oxalate, which is definitely harmful to the body.
If you blanch bitter gourd with boiling water, you can remove most of the oxalic acid from bitter gourd and reduce the bitterness of bitter gourd.
However, the bitter taste of bitter gourd comes from the momordicin it contains. Momordica charantia has the health-care effects of losing weight and lowering blood sugar, mainly because it is rich in momordicoside. Although blanching can remove harmful oxalic acid, at the same time, it will also make some valuable momordicoside lose to water, thus reducing the health care function of bitter gourd.
In order to remove most of oxalic acid and keep momordicin to the greatest extent, we must master the correct method of blanching bitter gourd:
1. Boil the water in the pot, add a little salt and a few drops of cooking oil, and then blanch the chopped bitter gourd.
2. Blanch the bitter gourd for no more than 1 min, then immediately take out the bitter gourd and immerse it in ice water for rapid cooling. When the temperature drops to room temperature, take it out and drain it immediately. Soaking in water for a long time will also lead to more loss of momordicin.
The bitter gourd blanched by the above method can be used for cooking, which not only removes most oxalic acid from bitter gourd, but also retains precious momordicin to the maximum extent.
Efficacy and function of bitter gourd 1. Clearing heat and invigorating qi
Momordica charantia has the effects of clearing away heat and relieving summer-heat, nourishing blood and benefiting qi, invigorating kidney and spleen, nourishing liver and improving eyesight, and has a certain curative effect on dysentery, sores, heatstroke, fever, excessive miliaria, conjunctivitis and other diseases.
Protect the body
Bitter gourd has the functions of preventing scurvy, protecting cell membrane, preventing atherosclerosis, improving stress ability and protecting heart.
Fight cancer
The effective components in bitter gourd can inhibit the canceration of normal cells and promote the recovery of mutant cells, which has certain anti-cancer effect.
4. Reduce blood sugar and blood lipid
Has the medicinal and health-care functions of lowering blood sugar and blood fat, resisting tumor, preventing osteoporosis, regulating endocrine, resisting oxidation, resisting bacteria and improving human immunity.
5. Skin care
Bitter gourd can moisturize white skin, calm and moisturize skin, especially in hot summer, applying iced bitter gourd slices can immediately relieve skin irritability.