How to Eat Bitter Melon

Bitter melon is a unique vegetable that grows best in tropical regions and is healthy to eat. Consuming this veggie may strengthen your immune system, detoxify your liver, improve your eyesight, and even kill cancer cells.^[1] If you’re wondering how to incorporate bitter melon into your diet while still enjoying the taste of your food, there are many ways to do it. Select and cut your bitter melon properly before cooking and/or eating it. Try stir-frying your bitter melon or blending it into a tasty beverage.

EditSteps

EditSelecting and Cutting Bitter Melon

1. Look for a long, green warty fruit at the summer farmer’s market. Despite its name, bitter melon doesn’t look like typical melon. Head to the farmer’s market in July and August and keep an eye out for a vegetable that resembles a cucumber, but with much bumpier skin.^[2]
   
2. Choose small, firm melon. When choosing from a group of bitter melon, it’s best to go for the smaller, harder ones that are light green, as these won’t be quite as bitter. As bitter melon age and grow, they become more bitter.^[3]
   
   • If you see any bitter melon with a touch of orange or yellow, get them. These tend to be milder in flavor.
3. Store bitter melon in your refrigerator for up to 5 days. Once you’ve acquired some bitter melon and have brought them home, put them in an airtight container. Keep them stored in the vegetable drawer in your refrigerator until you’re ready to prepare, cook, and eat them.^[4] Don’t wait longer than 5 days or so, or else the bitter melon may start to spoil.^[5]
   
4. Wash the melon. Before you cut and cook your melon, turn the kitchen faucet on cold and hold it under the water. Rub it with your hands or scrub it softly with a clean sponge to remove any dirt and/or pesticides.^[6]
   
5. Slice the melon in half lengthwise and scoop out the core. Put the bitter melon on a cutting board and carefully slice it in half down the middle. Then take a spoon and scoop out the pith and seeds. Finally, slice the melon into thin half-moon-shaped pieces.^[7]
   
6. Sprinkle salt onto the melon. Lightly and uniformly sprinkle salt all over the bitter melon pieces and let the salt sit on them for about 10 minutes. This will minimize the bitter taste of the melon, making it more palatable.^[8]
   

EditMaking Bitter Melon Stir Fry

1. Heat some oil in a wok on the stove. Get a wok or large, deep saucepan and pour in 1 tablespoon (14.8 mL) of vegetable or olive oil. Place the wok on a burner and turn the burner on medium-high heat.^[9]
   
2. Add chopped garlic and onion to the wok. Use a knife to finely chop one small onion and 3-4 cloves of garlic on a cutting board. Put the chopped garlic and onion into the wok and stir it with a large wooden spoon until it’s cooked and appears brown.^[10]
   
   • For more flavor, chop and stir in tomatoes once the garlic and onion have browned.
3. Add the sliced melon and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Put 2 sliced melons into the wok and continuously stir it while it cooks. After about 2 or 3 minutes, you should notice that the melon is beginning to turn slightly translucent, which means it’s almost cooked.^[11]
   
4. Beat and pour 2 eggs into the wok. After the melon has been cooking for 2-3 minutes, whisk 2 eggs and slowly pour them into the wok and over the melon pieces. Continue to stir fry until the eggs are cooked and dry.
   
5. Remove the wok from heat, and season with salt. Move the wok to a cold burner and turn off the warm burner. Use your wooden spoon to scrape the food out of the wok and into a bowl. Sprinkle in some salt to taste, and serve with rice or noodles.^[12]
   

EditDrinking Bitter Melon

1. Make a bitter melon smoothie. Use a knife to chop the bitter melon as finely as possible on a cutting board and put it into a blender or food processor. Add in some pomegranate seeds and/or chopped mango to create a nice flavor. Either blend the chopped melon and fruit into a thin liquid and drink it as a juice, or add in some yogurt to make a smoothie.^[13]
   
2. Drink bitter melon tea. Oftentimes, Asian markets carry bitter melon tea in the form of tea bags. The taste is similar to green tea. Drink a cup in the morning and cup at night to get a healthy daily dose.^[14]
   
3. Have a cocktail made with bitter melon extraction. If you’re of legal drinking age and are looking for a more creative way to consume bitter melon, try it in a cocktail. Use a box grater to finely grate the skin of one medium melon. Wrap the skin in a cheesecloth and twist it to squeeze out the juice. Put 1 tablespoon (14.8 mL) of juice into a cocktail shaker and add in 1 oz (29.6 mL) of simple syrup, ¾ oz (22.2 mL) of lime juice, ¾ oz (22.2 mL) of gin, and ice. Shake and pour the drink into a glass. Stir in 2 oz (59.1 mL) of soda water and enjoy!^[15]
   

EditThings You'll Need

EditSelecting and Cutting Bitter Melon

• Knife
• Cutting board
• Spoon
• Salt

EditMaking Bitter Melon Stir Fry

• Wok
• Vegetable or olive oil (1 tablespoon)
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Garlic (3-4 cloves)
• Onion (1)
• Wooden Spoon
• Tomatoes (optional)
• Eggs (2)
• Whisk

EditDrinking Bitter Melon

• Knife
• Cutting board
• Blender or food processor
• Mangoes and pomegranates (optional)
• Yogurt (optional)
• Bitter melon tea
• Box grater
• Cocktail shaker
• Cheesecloth
• Simple syrup (1 oz)
• Lime juice (¾ oz)
• Gin (¾ oz)
• Ice
• Soda water (2 oz)

EditSources and Citations

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via Peter