? "The body is long, but not big. There are small pimples all over the body. Some people frown when they see it, and some people bloom when they see it." Name the plant, what do you guess it is?
? The answer is bitter melon.
? Bitter melon, known as cold melon by Cantonese people, was born in ancient India and grew under the inspiration of compassion, earning the name "Bodhi melon". And because bitter melon clears the heart fire, it has Buddha nature. When cooked, bitter melon does not transfer its bitter taste to the dishes it is paired with, as if it has the virtue of a gentleman. Therefore, people euphemistically call it "gentlemen's cuisine".
After listening to Eason Chan's "Bitter Melon", I learned that bitter melon also has a beautiful name, called half-life melon. Half a lifetime ago, people felt it was bitter and hard to eat; half a lifetime later, people realize its cool and sweet fragrance. It means that only those who have experienced it for over fifty years know how to appreciate its joys and sorrows.
? The bitter taste of bitter melon disgusts many children. I am no exception. I hated eating bitter melon when I was a child. It is very bitter and tastes like an unpleasant Chinese medicine. Whenever my mother would make scrambled eggs with bitter melon, I wouldn't even touch the bitter melon and would only eat the eggs. I don't understand why adults like to eat this bitter stuff. It looks so bitter. Instead of eating so many delicacies, you only eat this lumpy and bitter bitter melon, and still look like you are enjoying it?
As I get older, I am no longer so repelled by bitter melon. Fried bitter melon, bitter melon soup, cold bitter melon... I have eaten all the dishes containing bitter melon. Gradually, I fell in love with the hint of sweetness revealed in the bitterness.
When I was a child, my father would plant bitter melons every year. During the harvest, the best-looking bitter melons will be sold at the market, while some short and curved ones will be kept. That skinned and rough face looks like an old woman with wrinkles all over her face, which is really unpopular. But my mother can always make all kinds of mouth-watering delicacies from this humble bitter melon. Especially the sweetness, bitterness and sweetness of the seafood bitter melon soup is still something I can’t forget.
? The biggest advantage of being in a coastal city is that you can always eat cheap and fresh seafood. In summer, mantis shrimps are so cheap that no one eats them. My mother would spend a few dollars every time to buy a big bag of mantis shrimp. She would wash the mantis shrimp, cut the bitter melon into pieces, prepare the ginger, onion and garlic, heat the pan, add oil, sauté the ginger, onion and garlic, and put Add bitter melon pieces, stir-fry a few times, add appropriate amount of water, and bring to a boil. After the water boils, add the mantis shrimp and simmer for ten minutes. When the shrimp body is curled, add green onions, coriander and a little seasoning. Enjoy the sweet and luscious bitter melon soup filled with mantis shrimps, a mixture of bitterness and pleasure that makes you want to stop eating.
Later, after I went to another place to study and work, my love for bitter melon became even more uncontrollable. Stir-fry, stir-fry, make soup, cold salad, juice, and savor the light aroma piercing through the strong bitterness. Especially in the summer, drinking a bowl of soybean, bitter melon and pork ribs soup can clear away heat and relieve the heat. The sweet fragrance fills the tongue, and I feel that summer is no longer a bitter summer. When I am away from home, I often miss the taste of my mother’s cooking, especially the sweet aroma of bitter melon, which lingers in my heart.
? I once lived in Jiangmen City, Guangdong for three years due to work. There is a small town called Du Ruan in Jiangmen. This small town has developed an ultimate food culture by eating bitter melon. "Du Ruan Liang Gua" is one of the most distinctive agricultural products in Jiangmen Wuyi Overseas Chinese Township. At the Liang Gua Festival held every year, melon farmers will display the bitter melons they grow. The melons are plump in shape, shaped like papayas, have flat tops and thick grains, thick green flesh, crisp and no residue, and a slightly bitter but sweet taste. The largest bitter melon is sold through bidding, and the proceeds will be used to carry out public welfare undertakings.
? What attracts foodies most at the Cold Melon Festival is the eye-opening cold melon feast. I remember one year I also attended the Du Nguyen Cold Melon Festival and was deeply attracted by one of the iced cold melons. I saw the chefs cut the flesh of the melon, cut the top layer into green melons, blanch it in boiling water, pick it up to dry, and spread it on an ice dish. The green melon greens were like a slight glow in the stream. The ripples are very eye-catching. Without adding any seasoning, oil or salt, eat it plain, you will only feel the coolness in your mouth, slightly bitter and fragrant, and it will taste sweet after a long time.
Zhang Xiaoxian once said: "When you fall in love with the taste of bitter melon, you may no longer be young, and you have walked at least half of your life." People who love bitter melon are generally prepared to endure hardships. The first bite is bitter, but the second or third bites are followed by a refreshing and sweet taste. The same is true in life. Only by experiencing pain can you taste the sweetness.
? This bitter gourd that tastes both bitter and sweet makes me want to stop eating it, and it makes me greedy.
? Finally, end with Eason Chan's "Bitter Melon":