Cooking Bitter melon is generally consumed cooked in the green or early yellowing stage. The young shoots and leaves of the bitter melon may also be eaten as
greens. The raw fruit is bitter and can be soaked in cold water and drained to remove some of those strong flavours.
China In
Chinese cuisine, bitter melon (, ) is used in
stir-fries (often with pork and
douchi), soups, dim sum, and
herbal teas (gohyah tea). It has also been used in place of
hops as the bittering ingredient in some beers
in China and Okinawa.
India Bitter gourd is commonly eaten throughout India. In
North Indian cuisine, it is often served with yogurt on the side to offset the bitterness, used in
curry such as
sabzi, or stuffed with spices and then cooked in oil. In
South Indian cuisine, it is used in numerous dishes such as
thoran /
thuvaran (mixed with grated coconut),
pavaikka mezhukkupuratti (stir-fried with spices),
theeyal (cooked with roasted coconut), and
pachadi (which is considered a medicinal food for
diabetics), making it vital in
Malayali's diet. Other popular recipes include preparations with curry, deep-frying with peanuts or other ground nuts, and
Kakara kaya pulusu () in
Telugu, a tamarind-based soup with mini shallots or fried onions and other spices, thickened with chickpea flour. In Karnataka, bitter melon is known as
hāgalakāyi () in
Kannada; in Tamil Nadu it is known as
paagarkaai or
pavakai () in
Tamil. In these regions, a special preparation called
pagarkai pitla, a kind of sour
koottu, is common. Also commonly seen is
kattu pagarkkai, a curry in which bitter melons are stuffed with onions, cooked lentils, and grated coconut mix, then tied with thread and fried in oil. In the Konkan region of Maharashtra, salt is added to the finely chopped bitter gourd, known as
karle () in
Marathi, and then it is squeezed, removing its bitter juice to some extent. After frying this with different spices, the less bitter and crispy preparation is served with grated coconut. Bitter melon is known as
karate () in
Goa where it is used widely in
Goan cuisine. In
Bengal, where it is known as
korola (করলা) or
ucche (উচ্ছে) in Bengali, bitter melon is often simply eaten boiled and mashed with salt, mustard oil, sliced thinly and deep fried, added to lentils to make "tetor"
dal (bitter lentils), and is a key ingredient of the
Shukto, a Bengali vegetable medley that is a mixture of several vegetables like raw banana, drumstick stems, bori, and sweet potato. In northern India and Nepal, bitter melon, known as
tite karela () in
Nepali, is prepared as a fresh pickle. For this, the vegetable is cut into cubes or slices, and sautéed with oil and a sprinkle of water. When it is softened and reduced, it is crushed in a
mortar with a few cloves of
garlic, salt, and a red or green pepper. It is also eaten
sautéed to golden brown, stuffed, or as a curry on its own or with potatoes.
Myanmar In
Burmese cuisine, bitter melon is sauteéd with garlic, tomatoes, spices, and dried shrimp and is served as an accompaniment to other dishes. Such a dish is available at street stalls and deli counters throughout the country.
Sri Lanka It is called () in Sri Lanka and it is an ingredient in many different curry dishes (e.g.,
karawila curry and
karawila sambol) which are served mainly with rice in a main meal. Sometimes large grated coconut pieces are added, which is more common in rural areas.
Karawila juice is also sometimes served there.
Okinawa Bitter melon, known as
gōyā () in
Okinawan, and in
Japanese (although the Okinawan word
gōyā is also used), is a significant ingredient in
Okinawan cuisine, and is increasingly used in
Japanese cuisine beyond that island.
Pakistan In Pakistan, where it is known as
karela () in
Urdu-speaking areas, bitter melon is often cooked with onions, red
chili powder,
turmeric powder, salt,
coriander powder, and a pinch of
cumin seeds. Another dish in Pakistan calls for whole, unpeeled bitter melon to be boiled and then stuffed with cooked minced beef, served with either hot
tandoori bread,
naan,
chappati, or with
khichri (a mixture of lentils and rice).
Indonesia In
Indonesian cuisine, bitter melon, known as
pare in
Javanese and
Indonesian (also
paria), is prepared in various dishes, such as
gado-gado, and also stir-fried, cooked in coconut milk, or steamed. In Christian areas in Eastern Indonesia it is cooked with pork and chili, the sweetness of the pork balancing against the bitterness of the vegetable.
Vietnam In
Vietnamese cuisine, raw bitter melon slices known as
mướp đắng or
khổ qua in
Vietnamese, eaten with
dried meat floss and bitter melon soup with
shrimp, are common dishes. Bitter melons stuffed with ground pork are commonly served as a summer soup in the south. It is also used as the main ingredient of stewed bitter melon. This dish is usually cooked for the
Tết holiday, where its "bitter" name is taken as a reminder of the bitter living conditions experienced in the past.
Thailand In
Thai cuisine, the Chinese variety of green bitter melon,
mara () in
Thai, is prepared stuffed with minced pork and garlic, in a clear broth. It is also served sliced and stir-fried with garlic and fish sauce until just tender. Varieties found in Thailand range from large fruit to small fruit. The smallest fruit variety (
mara khii nok) is generally not cultivated but is occasionally found in the wild.
Philippines In the
cuisine of the Philippines, bitter melon, known as
Ampalaya in
Filipino and
Paria in
Ilokano, may be stir-fried with ground beef and
oyster sauce, or with eggs and diced tomato. The dish
pinakbet, popular in the
Ilocos region of
Luzon, consists mainly of bitter melons, eggplant, okra, string beans, tomatoes, lima beans, and other various regional vegetables all stewed together with a little
bagoong-based stock. The name of the fruit is rooted in the bitterness of its taste, (Filipino:
Ampait) which means bitter. In pre-colonial Spanish in
Ilocandia, the name is locally translated to
Amparia and
Ampalaya in the
Filipino language.
Trinidad and Tobago In
Trinidad and Tobago, bitter melons, known as
caraille or
carilley, are usually sautéed with onion, garlic, and
scotch bonnet pepper until almost crisp.
Mauritius In
Mauritius, bitter melons are known as
margose or
margoze.
Herbal medicine Bitter melon has been used in various Asian and African
herbal medicine systems. ==Research==