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Can You Eat Bitter Melon Raw
You can eat bitter melon raw or prepared in a variety of ways. In fact, it may be steamed, roasted, pan-fried, or even hollowed out and filled with the filling you choose. A herbaceous vine called the bitter melon. The unripe fruit has a white pit and seeds that are delicate and edible.
For centuries, people worldwide have used bitter melons–also called bitter melon, karela, and balsam pears–in cooking and medicine. Bitter gourds provide many benefits, both nutritive and medicinal.
Including bitter gourd in your diet boosts vitamin C. A serving of this prickly-skinned vegetable contains 54% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C, making it a good choice for blood vessel health because of its effects on collagen production.
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Health Benefits of Bitter Melon: Blood Sugar Control, Liver Cleansing, Weight Loss
According to Ayurveda, in fact, the bitter flavors of Karela and the leaves of vines provide a wide array of health benefits, and the text recommends drinking karela juice or cooking the herb at least twice per week for combating a variety of ailments.
Consuming bitter gourd juice on an empty stomach helps to control the level of blood sugar, cleanses the liver, and helps with weight loss.
| Benefits | Shelf life |
| Good source of Vitamin C | In fridge 4-5 days |
| Help to reduce blood sugar level | At room temperature 2-3 days |
| May decrease Cholesterol level | In freezer for many weeks |
Bitter gourd juice is an emetic, meaning that it may cause nausea and purifies the system from the inside. Bitter gourd, as it is also popularly known, is a member of the Cucurbitacae family (along with cucumber, squash, and yes, melons and squash) and is bitter.
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Is raw bitter melon better than cooked?
Depending on the individual’s preferences and the particular culinary situation, cooked bitter melon may not always be preferable to raw bitter melon. Here are some things to think about:
1. Taste & Bitterness: Raw bitter melon has a very unique, powerful bitter flavor that some people may not like. While some individuals find the distinct flavor of raw bitter melon to be appealing, others find it to be too bitter to eat uncooked. For individuals who prefer a milder flavor, cooking bitter melon can help to lessen the bitterness and make it more pleasant.
2. Texture: Raw bitter melon has a crisp, cucumber-like feel. While some individuals enjoy the crunchiness of raw bitter melon, others choose the softer texture that may be achieved through cooking. The bitter melon’s texture can be altered, and it can be made more tender by cooking it in a stir-fry, boiling, or steaming.
3. Nutrient Availability: The availability of certain nutrients can change when bitter melon is cooked. Bitter melon, like many plants, is packed with healthy nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. According to some studies, boiling bitter melon can increase the availability of some nutrients while reducing the amounts of others. It’s vital to remember that depending on the precise cooking method and time, cooking might have different effects on nutritional availability.
4. Digestibility: Raw bitter melon contains enzymes that some people may find difficult to digest, resulting in abdominal pain. Cooking can aid in breaking down these enzymes and improve the digestibility of bitter melon. Cooked bitter melon can be a better choice for you if you have digestive problems or find that raw bitter melon is hard for you to digest.
The decision between raw and cooked bitter melon ultimately boils down to taste, application in cooking, and individual circumstances. While some dishes, like stir-fries or soups, may call for the crunchiness of fresh bitter melon, others may benefit from its cooked bitterness.
You may find out which you prefer and how it fits into your diet and taste preferences by experimenting with various cooking techniques and sampling both raw and cooked bitter melon.
Preparing Bitter Melon to Reduce Bitterness: Blanching and Seasoning Techniques
If Bitter Melon is still too bitter, Blanche slices in boiling water–one teaspoon of baking soda for two quarts of water–until the Bitter Melon is a bright green emerald, then immerse in cold water and let drain before cooking.
Season bitter melon slices with salt, turmeric, and some chili, and then either fry them in the oven or remove the middle pith and fill that gourd with ground aromatics, ground pork, shrimp, and finely chopped onions, or fish sauce before baking. To eliminate the fruit’s bitter flavor, home cooks will usually dust the cut bitter melon slices with salt.
Nutritional Benefits of Bitter Melon Leaf Tips: Calcium and Vitamin A Content
Both raw and boiled bitter melon leaf tips provide significant amounts of calcium and vitamin A. Boiling tips provide more vitamin A, which is needed for eye health, and raw tips provide more calcium.
The stringent, healthy bitter melon leaf tips, called ampalaya in the Philippines, Karelas in India, and Balsam pear in China, provide calcium, potassium, vitamin C, folate, and vitamins A and K, while the wrinkly-looking pods also provide choline and lutein+zaxanthan.
Boiled bitter melon pods provide 396 mg of potassium, whereas raw pods contain only 275 mg of this mineral.
Delicious Ways to Enjoy Bitter Melon: Recipes and Flavor Pairings
Preferred for their abundant Vitamin C, Vitamin B, loaded tannins, and flavonoids, drinking bitter melon juice or veg dishes as part of your normal diet keeps your nervous system functioning optimally, improves memory, and protects your brain against deterioration from stress, depression.
Bitter gourd is packed with vitamin C, which not only strengthens the immune system but also provides beneficial antioxidant effects, protecting the brain cells from oxidative stress and damage caused by harmful free radicals.
Balance bitterness with strong flavors like pepper, garlic, tamarind, ginger, sweet soy, miso, fermented black beans, fish sauce, dried shrimp, and curry paste.
From there, you can either work it into a recipe, such as Elizabeth Schneiders’s pan-fried potatoes and bittermelon with zaatar and dried pomegranate, or follow her advice and arrange slices on a baking tray, spray them with oil, and roast them to crisp at 400 degrees F.
Who is unable to consume bitter gourd?
Bitter gourd should not be ingested by those who have diabetes and are taking medication to lower their blood sugar because it may cause their blood sugar to drop too low. Bitter gourd might cause blood sugar to drop too low.
Bitter gourd may affect your blood sugar levels before, during, and after surgery if you eat it before, during, and after the procedure. Therefore, if you have an upcoming appointment for surgery, it is strongly advised that you refrain from eating bitter melon at least two weeks before the procedure.
What is the distinction between bitter gourd and bitter melon?
The bitter gourd is another type of vegetable with a few different names. Bitter melon, bitter cucumber, balsam-pear, bitter apple, and bitter squash are all names that are commonly used to refer to this fruit.
In addition to these names, this vegetable is also known as ampalaya in the Philippines, karela in India, nigauri in Japan, goya in Okinawa, and ku-gua in China. All of these names are derived from the Sanskrit word karela, which means gourd.
What is the proper way to consume fresh bitter melon?
The bitter melon needs to have a slit down its lengthwise center. Take a teaspoon or a paring knife and remove the fibrous core and the seeds from the fruit. Alongside the slices of bitter melon, the seeds and the center can also be cooked if that is something that is wanted. Slice each half of the bitter melon to a thickness of about 2 inches.