Bitter melon is named after its taste. Because it tastes bitter, it is called "bitter melon"; it is also named "leaf melon" based on its appearance, because the surface of bitter melon is covered with many "tumors" It looks like a small pimple"; it is also named "liang melon" based on its therapeutic effects, because eating bitter melon has the effect of clearing away heat and detoxifying. In short, both "leaf melon" and "liang melon" refer to bitter melon.

Bitter melon is good for everything, but its only drawback is its bitter taste. Many people know that bitter melon is good to eat, but they just can’t accept its taste. In the past, I didn’t eat bitter melon. I thought eating bitter melon was like drinking traditional Chinese medicine. But now I have a special liking for bitter melon. I don’t feel used to it even if I haven’t eaten it for three days. Even my children have fallen in love with eating bitter melon.

Therefore, eliminating the bitterness of bitter melon has become a topic often discussed by many people. In fact, it is true, no matter what style of bitter melon dishes are made, such as: bitter melon fried eggs, bitter melon fried meat, cold bitter melon, etc. , are originally very simple, but how to remove the bitterness is the real difficulty in making these dishes. Although there are a few people who like the bitter taste of bitter melon, it does not suit the taste of most people. Therefore, people have also come up with many ways to remove the bitter taste of bitter melon, such as: blanching to remove the bitter taste, pickling with salt to remove the bitter taste. and adding sugar to remove bitterness, etc. So which method is the best? Let’s share my experience with everyone, let’s take a look.

To remove the bitter taste of bitter melon, pickling it with salt is a taboo

Many people think of using salt to remove the bitter taste of bitter melon. Why is this method undesirable? Because the thinly sliced ??bitter melon is pickled with salt, the salt has a strong dehydration effect and can seep out a large amount of bitter water in the bitter melon. From the perspective of bitterness alone, the effect is indeed obvious. However, this method will bring about the result of "paying attention to one thing and losing the other", that is, the bitter taste is removed, and the bitter melon becomes soft, yellowish in color, not emerald green, and tastes soft and not crispy. Although the bitter melon produced in this way is not bitter, the taste and color It is greatly discounted and meaningless, so it is not advisable to pickle the bitter melon with salt to remove the bitter taste.

What is the correct way to remove the bitter taste of bitter melon?

Because the bitter taste of bitter melon comes from a substance called "balsamrin" in bitter melon, and most of this substance is found in the seeds and pulp of bitter melon, and the content in the rind is relatively small. , therefore, to remove the bitter taste of bitter melon, the following method is used, and the effect is very obvious:

Remove seeds and pulp

Step one: remove the head and tail of fresh bitter melon, and then Break it in the middle and remove the melon seeds and pulp inside. When removing the melon pulp, you must be patient. The white pulp on the inner surface of the melon rind should be removed as cleanly as possible. It is best to expose the green melon rind, otherwise it will taste bitter no matter what you do.

Add sugar and marinate for 10 minutes

Step 2: Cut the processed bitter melon into thin slices or large pieces according to the dish you want to cook, put it into a basin, and then add Stir appropriate amount of sugar evenly and marinate for 10 minutes.

Blank bitter melon

Step 3: Boil water in a pot, add an appropriate amount of salt and a few drops of peanut oil to the water, put the bitter melon pickled with white sugar into the pot, Bring to a boil over high heat. When the color of the bitter melon becomes more emerald green, immediately remove it, drain it, and let it cool. To deal with the bitter taste of bitter gourd, whether it is cold salad, scrambled eggs, fried meat, stir-fried, or stewed, just follow the usual way. Because making these dishes is very simple and most people can do it, there is no need to go into details here.

Recipe summary and tips

Stir-fried bitter melon slices

Besides making bitter melon soup, no matter what form it is made, the bitter melon dishes are made The dish must meet the following two conditions to be considered qualified: first, it must taste crisp, not soft, and not bitter; second, the color must be fresh and green, not yellow or black. Therefore, the above method can be used to achieve this effect. Adding sugar can neutralize the bitterness, increase the umami, and keep the bitter melon crisp; blanching can further remove the bitterness, so master the blanching.