Introduction: Bitter gourds may come in either green or white colour. Raw bitter gourds can remove heat, toxicity, calm the heart and brighten up the eyes. Cooked bitter gourds can nourish blood and liver, strengthen the spleen and kidney. Bitter gourds are rich in vitamin C and it is an anti-oxidant. They can protect cells and blood vessels.
Note: Bitter gourd is regarded as cold in Chinese medicine and its cold nature will decrease when cooked.
Purchase: You should choose those which feel heavy and full, with obvious marks; the parts which bulge should be strong and lustrous. White bitter gourd should not have a yellow tint; the smaller the size of white bitter gourd, the bitterer it is.
Cooking methods: Steam, stir fry, stew, cook in a soup, served cold, stuffed.
Home dishes: Steamed bitter gourd with garlic and preserved black beans; stir-fried bitter gourd with beef;
Stewed spareribs with bitter gourd;
Bitter gourd and spareribs soup; bitter gourds served cold; bitter gourds stuffed with fish meat.
