Delicious Bitter Melon Salad: Easy Recipes & Bitter-Reducing Tips

Bitter melon salad is a refreshing, novel dish perfect for hot or dry days. With its distinctive bitter taste yet numerous health benefits, this salad is not only delicious but also highly nutritious. Let’s explore how to make this simple yet incredibly appealing and healthy bitter melon salad.

Refreshing Bitter Melon Salad

Ingredients for Bitter Melon Salad

• 1 bitter melon
• 1 carrot
• 1/3 daikon radish
• 1/2 onion
• 1 bunch fresh herbs (cilantro, mint)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2.5 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp chopped chili
• 1 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts

Prepare the Ingredients

Slice the onion thinly, julienne the carrot and daikon radish. Soak them with 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp lime juice. Let sit for 10 minutes, then gently squeeze out excess water.

Halve the bitter melon lengthwise, remove all seeds and pith, slice thinly, and place in a bowl. Add 1 tsp salt, wear gloves, gently squeeze for 2 minutes, then soak for another 5 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. Soak the bitter melon in a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes to make it crisp, then gently squeeze out excess water.

Combine all the bitter melon, onion, daikon radish, carrot, and fresh herbs in a large bowl.

Make the Bitter Melon Salad Dressing

In a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp fish sauce + 2.5 tbsp water + 1 tbsp sugar + 1/2 tbsp lime juice + 1 tbsp chopped chili – stir until sugar dissolves.

Pour the dressing over the bitter melon and vegetable mixture in the bowl, mix well, then arrange on a plate and sprinkle with roasted peanuts.

Refreshing and appealing bitter melon salad with peanuts and herbs

Final Dish

A sweet, sour, refreshing bitter melon salad with roasted peanuts. This dish can be enjoyed on its own or with crispy shrimp crackers, providing a delicious and cool sensation.

Unique and Delicious Bitter Melon & Shrimp Salad

Ingredients

• 1-2 bitter melons
• 150g peeled shrimp
• Carrots, onion, garlic, chili, salt, fish sauce, sugar, lime, crushed roasted peanuts

Instructions

Preparation

Clean the bitter melon, halve lengthwise, remove seeds and pith, slice into thin, bite-sized pieces, place in a large bowl, and add a pinch of salt. Marinate for 15 minutes to draw out water.

Wash and thinly julienne the onion and carrot, place in a separate bowl, and also add a pinch of salt to marinate for 10-15 minutes.

Wash the shrimp, briefly blanch, peel, and cut in half to help absorb the seasoning.

Mixing the Salad

For bitter melon salad, a sweet and sour fish sauce dressing is recommended.

Squeeze out all the water from the bitter melon, carrot, and onion. Combine all three ingredients in a large bowl with the shrimp, then pour in the dressing. Mix well to ensure even seasoning.

Finally, sprinkle with roasted peanuts and mix thoroughly.

Final Dish

This bitter melon and shrimp salad is delicious and simple, not overly bitter, easy to make yet packed with nutrition and a wonderfully refreshing flavor. It’s a delightful and unique dish.

Tips to Reduce Bitter Melon’s Bitterness

Choose bitter melons of moderate size with evenly developed bumps and dark green skin (avoid overly large, glossy, bright green ones, as they might contain growth stimulants and be unsafe).

Traditional wisdom offers several ways to reduce the bitterness of bitter melon, making dishes more delicious and unique:

• Soaking in Water: Halve the bitter melon, remove seeds, slice thinly, rinse with cold water 3-4 times, gently squeezing while rinsing will reduce bitterness and result in a sweeter, more flavorful salad.
• Removing White Pith: After halving the fruit lengthwise, scrape out all the white pith inside – this will significantly reduce bitterness.
• Chilling: Chill bitter melon with ice (or wrap in plastic wrap) in the refrigerator at a low temperature. It will be crispier and much less bitter when eaten.
• Salting: After slicing bitter melon, marinate with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes, rinse thoroughly under running water, then prepare.
• Blanching: Briefly blanch bitter melon in hot water (above 80°C) then rinse. This will destroy most of the bitter compounds – however, this method also reduces many valuable nutrients, so it’s less commonly used.

Conclusion

Bitter melon salad is an easy-to-make dish that offers numerous health benefits and a unique flavor. You can try the recipes above to prepare this dish for your family. Don’t forget to apply the tips for reducing bitterness to make your dish even more perfect. Try it now and taste the difference!

Article information referenced from monngon and dienmayxanh