Cold Bittergourd

As requested by my son Ming two minutes ago (now I have even more reason to post my recipes), this is the recipe for cold bittergourd which 6th Aunt taught me and which has since become Ming's favorite bittergourd dish. He arrived in Melbourne yesterday morning and has eaten nearly everything he wanted in the last 24 hours ("Mom, the gyudon at Don Don is value for money because there's sooo much beef!" "I'm so full I wanna throw up! "Portions are so big!" "Jehjeh fed me well but she left me to discover the city myself while she was holed up in RMIT all day and night!"--that bad Jehjeh (sister)!) so he badly wants to go on a veggie diet. One of the things I'm still getting used to with Ming away is to buy less veg because the two guys now at home can go without veg if they had their way. Ming and I eat veg by the platefuls; we love meat too but feel sick if we eat too much of it.

A word of caution though: this way of preparing bittergourd is strictly for those who love the veg. I found our bittergourd more bitter than HK's. The greener and irregular or crinklier the surface of the bittergourd, the more bitter the gourd so be guided. I like my bittergourd bitter and always choose the younger greener fruit for stir fries but for this dish I choose the paler and more mature gourds. I don't know how true this is, but bittergourd is a cooling food and so balances any 'heatiness' condition brought on by too much deep-fried food. Many people also swear that it lowers blood pressure and blood sugar levels. I just know that my mom always told us "Sig dek foo gwa sig dek foo", meaning if you can eat bittergourd, you can 'eat'/withstand life's bitterness. Btw, my MIL and her sister never ate bittergourd until they came out of China. Apparently there was no bittergourd in Shanghai, bittergourd being a southern Chinese veg. Maybe that's why southerners are tougher people.

Try it and tell me if you like it.

Cold Bittergourd

1 large bittergourd
salt, sugar & sesame oil
ice-cold water

1. Cut the bittergourd into half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Liberally sprinkle salt (say 1/2 teaspoon each) into the cavity of each half and leave 1/2 hour. This will decrease the bitterness.

2. Without washing away the salt, cut the bittergourd into finger size and lengths.

3. Heat a small pot of water until boiling and then add the bittergourd, keeping the flame on at high. When it comes to a boil again, let it boil 30 to 40 seconds, until just cooked. Do not overcook. Scoop out immediately and plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water and let it soak until bittergourd is cooled. This is to stop the cooking so that the bittergourd is crispy and remains green.

4. Drain very well, put into a bowl or plate and toss with a bit (1/2 to 1 teaspoon) of castor sugar and lots of sesame oil. No salt. Or dress it just before you eat so that the sesame oil flavor is not diluted. Cover and chill in fridge until ready to eat.

p.s. I just saw a comment from a reader called Chris. So Chris, here's the recipe :)) Lots of bittergourd lovers out there. I'm surprised. These are the ones who will be able to ride through this financial crisis better based on that Chinese saying. Those who don't eat bittergourd (like my Hub) better start soon.