Crispy Bitter Melon Recipe
The bitter melon recipe is enhanced with spices, sugar and cooked crispy so to reduce some of the bitterness. However, it will still be adequately bitter.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 234kcal
Ingredients
To Fry:
- 2 Piece Bitter Melons medium sized fresh
- 3 Tablespoons Oil
- 1 Onion sliced
- 2 Pieces Garlic Cloves
- 1 Tomato sliced
- 2.5 Ounces Coconut Raw Freshly Shredded
- 1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ Teaspoon Turmeric Ground
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds Ground
- ¼ Teaspoon Red Chili Pepper or Cayenne
- 1 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds Ground
- 1 ½ Tablespoon Sugar Molasses
- Pinch Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Cilantro Fresh fresh chopped, aka Coriander leaves
Instructions
- Start by cutting off the ends of the bitter melon and slice it lengthwise so that you can remove and discard the seed core of the fruit.
- If you want to reduce the bitterness to a minimum, then blanch them by keeping the slices for 2–3 minutes in boiling water and afterward cool them in ice water (drain water well).
- In a frying pan heat 2 Tbs (of the 3 mentioned in the ingredients) oil and add the bitter melon slices, stir-fry on high heat for 3-5 min.
- Take out from the pan, shake off excess oil and keep aside.
- Cut the Onion, Tomato, chop the Garlic and Coriander and keep the freshly scraped Coconut ready, as mentioned in the ingredients.
- Take a clean frying pan and fry the Onion translucent and throw in the garlic and tomato, frying for a while.
- Now add the shredded Coconut and stir-fry until the color changes to a golden brown and add minimal amount of water so that it doesn't stick to the pan from now on.
- Thereafter, you can add the bitter melon slices and the Garam masala, Turmeric powder, Cumin Powder, Chili powder, Coriander powder, Sugar, Salt, chopped Cilantro/Coriander leaves and stir-fry for another 2–3 minutes.
- Finished! You just cooked your first Bitter Melon dish. You can garnish (optional) with chaat masala seasoning or black rock salt, more fresh cilantro/coriander leaves and serve hot as a side dish. See serving suggestions in the post.
Notes
The longer you stir-fry it crispy (almost dark) the less bitter the bitter melon will be.
The combination of oil, sweetness, spices, heat, and other ingredients tone down the bitterness in this bitter melon recipe.
You can reduce the spice amount; however, it's not necessary as the dish is not spicy hot but rather flavorful.
Bitter Melon is usually always eaten in smaller quantities with other meals as a side dish
Nutrition
Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 420mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 510IU | Vitamin C: 45.8mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1.3mg