Bittermelon Challenge
Over the weekend, I bought some bittermelon for family visiting from Guam. Looking for it was an adventure, so much so that I posted on the Seattle Foodies group for where I can find some. I went to two different grocery stores in town until I got a lead of its whereabouts in the Shoreline Central Market.
A couple comments I received were from people asking me how I prepare it. I really have no idea because this is my parents' vegetable. I grew up seeing it on the dinner table in a dish upon occasion, but every time I gave it a shot, my palate registered it as bitter. So as an adult buying my own food, I have since avoided it.
The more I thought about it, though, the more I decided to cook with it. I like healthy challenges. I have read of its skin-clarifying and anti-inflammatory properties, and some people I know love it (my dad being one of them). So I cleaned, dried, and cut a large one into halves. I scooped out the filling from each half with a spoon to hollow it out. I then broke up a burger patty with Hatch chile from Central Market and mixed in some diced onions with horseradish and wasabi powders I picked up from my Gift Everything group (FREE SPICES? Yes, please!) to use as stuffing. I also threw in slices of Trader Joe's goat milk cheddar into the mix to give it that 'wow' when eaten. It turned out I had extra ground meat filling, so I molded that into a patty and stuck it into an oven-safe soufflé dish with an egg at the bottom. Yeah, I don't know what I was doing, either. I just wanted to eat. I was hungry from the gym and my body was craving some protein and veggies. Before baking, I basted the bittermelon and the inside of the soufflé dish with avocado oil to protect the surfaces and retain moisture. I also wrapped the stuffed ends of each half with foil so that the filling won't dry out.
I baked them in the oven at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes, then turned on the top broiler for maybe five minutes... (I was on the phone so I was just watching the oven, not timing it at this point).
After letting the baked items cool and then plating with some fresh tomato and avocado, I tried a slice of the stuffed bittermelon. It tasted bitter! Again! Bah. So I take out two sauces: spicy peri-peri sauce from South Africa and takoyaki sauce from Japan and pour equal parts into a glass dish like a yin-yang. I then swirl them together, hoping that the combination of sweet and spice will cut the bitterness of the melon and draw out the flavors from the meat and cheese inside. My idea worked because I ate the whole thing.
Overall, I think my bittermelon challenge turned out pretty decent! I would make this for people who like bittermelon, but I don't see myself making this regularly for me. However, instead of using a bittermelon, I will in the future use a large green bell pepper or portobello caps...that's more my style.
Ta fañocho!
A couple comments I received were from people asking me how I prepare it. I really have no idea because this is my parents' vegetable. I grew up seeing it on the dinner table in a dish upon occasion, but every time I gave it a shot, my palate registered it as bitter. So as an adult buying my own food, I have since avoided it.
The more I thought about it, though, the more I decided to cook with it. I like healthy challenges. I have read of its skin-clarifying and anti-inflammatory properties, and some people I know love it (my dad being one of them). So I cleaned, dried, and cut a large one into halves. I scooped out the filling from each half with a spoon to hollow it out. I then broke up a burger patty with Hatch chile from Central Market and mixed in some diced onions with horseradish and wasabi powders I picked up from my Gift Everything group (FREE SPICES? Yes, please!) to use as stuffing. I also threw in slices of Trader Joe's goat milk cheddar into the mix to give it that 'wow' when eaten. It turned out I had extra ground meat filling, so I molded that into a patty and stuck it into an oven-safe soufflé dish with an egg at the bottom. Yeah, I don't know what I was doing, either. I just wanted to eat. I was hungry from the gym and my body was craving some protein and veggies. Before baking, I basted the bittermelon and the inside of the soufflé dish with avocado oil to protect the surfaces and retain moisture. I also wrapped the stuffed ends of each half with foil so that the filling won't dry out.
I baked them in the oven at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes, then turned on the top broiler for maybe five minutes... (I was on the phone so I was just watching the oven, not timing it at this point).
After letting the baked items cool and then plating with some fresh tomato and avocado, I tried a slice of the stuffed bittermelon. It tasted bitter! Again! Bah. So I take out two sauces: spicy peri-peri sauce from South Africa and takoyaki sauce from Japan and pour equal parts into a glass dish like a yin-yang. I then swirl them together, hoping that the combination of sweet and spice will cut the bitterness of the melon and draw out the flavors from the meat and cheese inside. My idea worked because I ate the whole thing.
Overall, I think my bittermelon challenge turned out pretty decent! I would make this for people who like bittermelon, but I don't see myself making this regularly for me. However, instead of using a bittermelon, I will in the future use a large green bell pepper or portobello caps...that's more my style.
Ta fañocho!
 |
| Bittermelon (a foodie commenter in the group mentioned this is a variety found more commonly in South Asian cuisine) |
 |
| The ingredients |
 |
| Dinner! |
Comments
Post a Comment
Hey there, thanks for your comment. I'm checking it out before it goes live!