You guys are good!
I think you had fun with this one!
Hats off to all the participants for their creative suggestions on this one. I tried very hard to be tricky.
Susan V. was correct - this is a half over-ripe bitter melon! It was originally all green, but over the last two days it is rapidly turning a lovely bright orange.
What's a bitter melon? A bitter tasting vegetable used in Asian cooking. I purchased it at our local farmers market, where the seller suggested stir-frying it in butter. It is considered a medicinal food, particularly for those with diabetes, but also cancer and other infections.
For more info. check out The National Bitter Melon Council Site.
posted by Catherine at 6:29 PM
7 Comments:
HA! - I had no idea
Here's why I knew--I just found some yesterday at the farmers' market. Mine are green, but I was researching them online and saw photos of some red ones. When you posted your photo, I seriously thought it was just my preoccupation with them influencing my answer!
By the way, I used one of mine tonight in a Filipino dish called Pinakbet. I'm sorry to say that I am not a fan! I'll be posting about it on my blog, but it won't be a happy story.
Yeah, I wasn't kidding when I said I hope you're not going to put that in your mouth! Nasty!
Goggle is a cheat, especially with images.
Amy - I'd never seen these before last week!
Susan - you got it! I'm glad you told me before I tried mine!
Cookiecrumb - obviously I've chickened out (having done a bit of research) -that's why its overripe.
Tanna - I know, that's what I do. It's great to learn about something new, however you get your info!
Catherine you are right in describing it as bitter but as far as the type goes it is not a melon or a fruit for that matter. But it is a veggie that belongs to the family of gourds.
It is widely used in Asian cuisine and is called as Bitter Gourd.
Thanks for the tip that you have given to those who don't know about its medicinal quality...yes bittergourd juice is given to diabetes patients.
The best way to cook is simply stir-fry it in olive oil with onion, crushed garlic, salt and red pepper.
If you do not want the bitter taste then you can rub it with salt keep it for some time. Before cooking you have to rinse it again in wter, to wash its bitterness away.
hi ds haidee from the philippines... we have a lot of those in our country... we call it 'ampalaya'. it's true that such veggie cures a lot of illness... esp.diabetes.. there are even drinks and capsules in the market, can be taken as supplements.
Post a Comment
<< Home