ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Bitter Gourd Health Benefits and Easy Recipes using Bitter Melon

Updated on May 16, 2013
Anamika S profile image

Anamika S Jain is a Social Media Consultant and Blogger. She is passionate about topics like Alternative Health Therapies and Hindu Mantras.

Bitter Melon - Health Benefits and Nutritional Value

The scientific name of Bitter Gourd or Bitter Melon is ‘Momordica Charantia’. It is a tropical vine and the fruits, leaves and extracts of this plant are used as medicine. It is also known as Balsam Pear. It is the most bitter of all vegetables. The Indian names of this vegetable are Karela, Pavakkai and Kakkarakai. Bitter Melon is very helpful in regulating the Blood Sugar Levels and as a Diabetic Cure. It is also used to treat hypertension, eye complications, neuritis and defective metabolism of carbohydrates. It is also said to increase the body's resistance against infection. Bitter gourd is proven effective in treating blood disorders like blood boils, itching, scabies, psoriasis, ring-worm and other fungal diseases. Bitter melon aids digestion and can be used by those with digestive disorders and constipation.

Bitter melon comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. It is widely grown in South and SouthEast Asia, Africa, China and the Caribbean. Bitter Melons are available fresh from April to September in most Asian markets. Bitter gourd has several essential vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin C, Iron, Calcium, Phosphorus, copper and potassium. Bitter guard is widely used in Ayurveda and considered and excellent remedy for Kapha problems. It helps purify blood tissue, enhances digestion and stimulates the liver. Due to their numerous medicinal properties bitter melon are also sold as juices and extracts in the market.

Though it has a bitter taste it is widely used in Cooking especially Indian. Young bitter gourds which do not have hard seeds are the best for cooking. If the seeds are not tender they are mostly removed before cooking. This Vegetable is normally not mixed with other vegetables because of its bitter taste. However the bitterness of this Vegetable can be reduced to some extent by putting the cut pieces in boiled water with salt for 5 minutes. Another way is by exposing the salted bitter melon pieces to sunlight for a few hours and then squeezes the pieces by hand to remove excess salt and bitterness. If necessary this pieces can be rinsed before using for cooking. Then it's rinsed with water a few times. I am not aware of the scientific reason behind this but have heard old people telling that Pregnant Woman, Nursing mothers and Nursing Mothers should not to eat bitter guards. Some studies on Bitter Melon have shown favorable results in treating Malaria, Cancer and HIV infection etc but the Research is still on.

Bitter Melon Health Benefits and Easy Bitter Gourd Recipes
Bitter Melon Health Benefits and Easy Bitter Gourd Recipes

Bitter Gourd Recipes

Bitter Gourd Pickle

Mix 3 medium bitter guards cut thin round slices, Ginger Paste I tablespoon, 10-12 Garlic flakes finely chopped, 6 green chillies finely chopped, ½ Cup Lemon Juice/White Vineger and Salt and keep it in an airtight container. Shake the container 2-3 times a day for 3 days. On the 4th day remove from the container and drain the liquid in the mixture and spread the vegetable in a clean cloth and keep it in sunlight for 1-2 hours for removing the moisture. Once done add mixture is cool add 2 tsp. red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp. asafetida powder, 1/2 tsp paste of crushed fenugreek seeds and aniseeds. Mix well and add table spoon Jaggery. Heat Oil in a Kadai and add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, a pinch of asafetida and salt to taste. Once it is cool mix well with the mixture and keep it in an airtight container. The Pickle will be ready to use after 3 days.

Stuffed Karela

Wash 10-12 small variety of Karela thoroughly and slit vertically on one side of the Karela and scoop out the seeds inside. Rub the insides of the Karela with salt. Set aside for about 20 minutes. There are several types of stuffing one can experiment with. To prepare a simple stuffing heat some Oil in a Kadai and add 1 medium Onion finely chopped and sauté for some time. Add 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger, 2 Serrano peppers finely chopped, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and amchoor powder. If necessary add water. Wipe the prepared Karela thoroughly and stuff the spice mixture to the slit of the Karela and fry the Karela in a Pan in medium flame till it is cooked evenly. Once ready add chopped coriander leaves on Karela and serve hot.

Khatta Meetha (Sweet and Sour) Karela

Wash 10-12 small bitter gourds thoroughly and make a slit on the side of Karela and remove the seeds. Apply salt on the insides and set aside. For making the stuffing mix around 4 tablespoons of tamarind pulp in a bowl, add salt, 2 teaspoon coriander powder, chilli powder and saunf powder. Fill the bitter gourd with this stuffing. Heat oil in a Kadai, add cumin seeds and allow crackling. Add a pinch of hing and cook the stuffed karela evenly on all sides. Cook on low heat. Once cooked add some water and around 4 tablespoons of crushed jaggery. Mix well. Cover and Cook on low flame for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with scarped coconut and coriander leaves. Serve hot with Rotis.

Stuffed Karela

Karela Pickle

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)