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About Bitter Melon: Plant, Fruit & How to Cook

Bitter melon, also known as bitter gourd, is one of the easiest vegetables to grow in the South. This plant loves the heat and is practically disease free. If you have never eaten winter melon, it is a good idea to try it first before starting to grow it. As the name implies, it does taste bitter. You can easily buy fresh bitter melons at a local Asian grocery store. It is a common vegetable in Asian cuisine.

Young bitter melons on the vine
Young bitter melons on the vine (bigger leaves belong to a different gourd)

How to Grow Bitter Melon?

In the spring, I started the seeds in small pots. After 30 days, I planted the young seedlings in the ground, in full sun.  I pruned them as single vines for 2 feet above the ground and let them branched out as they climbed along the trellis. Except for kitchen scraps and grass cuttings, I did not use a fertilizer or spray. Growing bitter melon for years, I have never seen it had any pests or diseases. The only thing I did was watering every other day during the heat wave. With the outside temperature of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, they continued to flower and set a lot of fruits. Two plants have produced more than enough for my family this year.


Bitter melon plants, pruned as single vines, 2 feet above the ground
Bitter melon plants, pruned as single vines, 2 feet above the ground


Bitter melon vines with flowers
Bitter melon vines with flowers

What Does Bitter Melon Taste Like?

My family normally harvests and uses bitter melon when it is at a mature green stage. We prepare the fruit by removing the inside seeds. Bitter melon tastes like a crunchy cucumber with mustard green flavor and a hint of bitterness. The young fruits taste more bitter than the mature green ones. When bitter melon turns ripe orange, you can eat the red pulps around the seeds. These taste like sweet, fruity jelly. We do not eat the seeds, but save them to plant next year.


Mature bitter melon on the vine
Mature bitter melon on the vine


Cross section of a ripe bitter melon
Cross section of a ripe bitter melon

How to Eat and Cook Bitter Melon?

Eat it raw

When pairing with another salty food, bitter melon tastes less bitter than by itself. We like to eat thinly sliced green bitter melon with pork floss or fermented shrimp paste.

Raw bitter melon with pork floss
Raw bitter melon with pork floss 

 

Make a bitter melon stir fry

We often cook bitter melon with beef or egg. Tip, try not to overcook the vegetable. It should still have a slight crunch and bright green color. Overcooked bitter melon would turn soft and taste more bitter.

Bitter melon with egg stir fry
Bitter melon with egg stir fry

 

Make stuffed bitter melon soup

We usually stuff it with ground pork and vermicelli noodles. Bitter melon soup tends to make it more bitter than the above methods.

Stuffed bitter melon soup, with ground pork and vermicelli noodles
Stuffed bitter melon soup, with ground pork and vermicelli noodles


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Location: Houston, TX, USA

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