"Why?" I asked.
"Because you will say the canteen doesn't have anything with bitter gourd in the menu. They will decide to have it, and we all will have a tough time," he replied with a smile.
He was joking. But I am quite serious about my love for the vegetable that is popularly hated -- bitter gourd, also called bitter melon; karela in Hindi and pavakka in Malayalam.
It is said that this vegetable has medicinal properties, and if at all anyone likes it, it is because they were forced to eat it, when some health issue cropped up, when they were in their mid-forties or later. But not in my case. I have always liked it, right from childhood.
Most of the recipes have a few steps to reduce or totally remove the bitterness. But since I have no problem with the bitterness, I like it as fried or put in some curry, or plain boiled, or as juice. I know very few people who like this vegetable.Much after I took a fascination for it, I learned that this vegetable, which is said to have originated in India, and is commonly used in many Asian countries, has a number of medicinal properties.
The most well-known is that it keeps the blood sugar level down, because it has a chemical that works like insulin. It works as an antioxidant, helps digestion, and is generally good for your well-being. Most of properties are attributed to widespread anecdotal evidences, and I am not sure if there is conclusive scientific proof to back them up.
It will be interesting to know if any of the readers of this post, has the same taste as I do.
(Know more about bitter gourd: Practo and WebMD)
(This blog entry is a part of the "Blogging from A to Z Challenge April 2018")
wow! Bitter Gourd. You are a brave one. For me, I do eat it but i am not a big fan unless it is the stuffed one. Interesting Post. Cheers
ReplyDeleteThanks, Preeti, for dropping by and your comments. I know stuffed one has some amount of popularity.
DeleteKarela is indeed a superfood for summers, here are some more you can mention in your blog
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.livenutrifit.com/2016/08/22/enrich-your-summer-diet-with-these-superfoods/
I never used to like it when we were to forcefully eat the Karela during childhood but now i look forward to it by deep frying it suit my taste. Awesome post.
ReplyDeleteSudha from www.sukrisblog.wordpress.com
Thanks, Sudha, for your comment. I guess deep frying gets rid of the unpleasant taste to some extent.
DeleteIt is an acquired taste. Kerala Karela is a Kool Karela.
ReplyDeleteThanks, SG, for your comment.
DeleteI am fairly fond of it :) Like it stir fried with onions, salt and dhaniya powder, and yes without removing the bitterness. Can't deal with the juice though.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kanika for your comments. Indeed, juice is a bit hard.
DeleteI don't mind bitter flavors, but this might be too much for me! The stir-fry does sound tasty, though
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog!
Thanks, Jenny, for dropping by and your comments.
DeleteMy mother makes a pickle combining lemon and pavakkai and it's heavenly. I love the vegetable too but juice ....well I don't think I can handle that:D
ReplyDeleteYes, Jaish, juice is a bit hard. :-)
DeleteI have never heard of this, sounds interesting
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bridgina for dropping by and for your comments.
ReplyDelete