Bitter melon – a cheap and delicious fruit – seems simple but is very useful. Experience the application corner below.

Bitter but not astringent

Bitter melon is a very strange fruit, with a bitter taste, very difficult to eat for those who are new to it. If you are new, you will feel the bitter taste deep in the bottom of your tongue, making you frown. This fruit is not like the usual vegetables that are sour, sweet or neutral. Therefore, it is not easy to eat if you are not used to it.

Bitter melon is a fruit that brings a gentle feeling of serenity, eating it without feeling suffocated, eating it feels attractive and not easy to forget. Perhaps that is why bitter melon needs to be bitter.

Bitter melon is very easy to recognize. It is green, small, only about 1/2 – 1/3 the size of a normal melon, the skin is rough with succulent thorns. When it turns yellow, it means it is ripe and cannot be eaten anymore. When cut, the fruit is hollow inside, has seeds, remove them, only eat the pulp. Bitter melon is not as spongy as regular melon, not as hard as cassava, soft enough to eat, suitable for all ages.

People have discovered that bitter melon has many different valuable biological active substances. Bitter melon contains a number of vitamins such as: vitamin A (precursor form of beta carotene), B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B9 (folic acid). Bitter melon contains some valuable minerals: calcium, potassium (quite rich in potassium), zinc, copper, phosphorus, magnesium. It is an ideal source of fiber. An average bitter melon contains about 1.5g of useful fiber. Bitter melon also contains quinine, pectin, lipoprotein, vitamin C, and anti-insulin substances. But that is not all the functions that bitter melon brings. It has more than you think. What does it have?

People still call bitter melon the fruit of cooling and detoxification.

Wonderful effects

The benefits of bitter melon come from its valuable biological active ingredients. It also comes from the taste and function of this subtropical fruit. People still call bitter melon the fruit of cooling and detoxification. Because bitter melon has a bitter taste and cold properties, according to traditional medicine books, it has the effect of eliminating heat, quenching thirst, clearing the mind, clearing the liver, brightening the eyes, reducing heat, nourishing the liver and blood, cooling and detoxifying, and eliminating heatstroke. The prominent effects of bitter melon are as follows

Cooling:

On hot summer days, when body temperature increases, cold foods like bitter melon have the value of blowing cool air from deep within. Bitter melon can also cool down because bitter melon has a lot of water. The amount of water in bitter melon is about 90%. That amount of water will help you quickly release heat to reduce the heat. Bitter melon does not have many kcal, so eating it will not cause you to generate more heat.

Detoxification:

Bitter melon has a very good detoxifying effect, especially for toxins caused by heat from the inside. Types of poisoning caused by the liver’s inability to metabolize. The reason bitter melon has this effect is because: bitter melon has a lot of water, water has the effect of transferring toxins to the kidneys to be excreted. Bitter melon is cold, reduces heat generation, reduces poisoning caused by heat inside. Bitter melon also has a strong effect on the liver, so it increases the body’s ability to clear. Bitter melon also has a natural antibiotic, so it has the ability to destroy pathogens that cause poisoning.

Liver tonic:

Bitter melon is rich in fiber, which stimulates bile duct movement, so it is good for bile secretion. Bitter melon also has the effect of reducing the concentration of inflammatory liver enzymes such as: AST, ALT (an increase in these enzymes is an indicator that liver cells are severely inflamed). Bitter melon has also been experimentally proven to reduce bilirubin levels in the blood (increased bilirubin is an indicator that the liver is metabolizing poorly and the bile ducts are blocked). Therefore, bitter melon is very safe for your liver.

Sunburn:

Bitter melon has the effect of quickly cooling the sun and is good for treating heatstroke because: bitter melon is cold and helps reduce heat, bitter melon also provides a lot of water to help reduce temperature and quench thirst, bitter melon is said to have a soothing effect against irritation caused by heatstroke, bitter melon also helps increase sugar metabolism in cells to help the body recover. Therefore, bitter melon is very useful in cases where heatburn is needed.

Appetite stimulant:

Bitter melon has a little-known effect of stimulating appetite. That is because bitter melon contains quinine. This substance has the effect of stimulating appetite. If you just add a small dish as an appetizer from bitter melon to a meal, the meal will be very delicious.

Reduce cholesterol:

Bitter melon contains useful fiber, which has the effect of neutralizing fat, reducing fat solubility in the intestine, thereby reducing cholesterol absorption into the blood. On the other hand, the fiber in bitter melon stimulates strong intestinal motility. Therefore, the rate of fat absorption is reduced. Bitter melon also contains pectin, a substance that has the ability to bind cholesterol molecules, making it more difficult to absorb. Bitter melon is considered useful for obese people.

Bitter melon salad, a popular dish in tropical countries.

Anti-diabetic:

Bitter melon has been shown to have a blood sugar lowering effect similar to insulin. Although this effect is not as strong as that of treatment drugs, bitter melon has the ability to support blood sugar regulation in the campaign to gradually reduce the dose of oral medication. The reason bitter melon can regulate blood sugar is because bitter melon reduces insulin resistance, which is a stressful problem for people with type II diabetes. Bitter melon also reduces the rate of sugar absorption in the intestine, which is necessary to help reduce the rapid increase in blood sugar levels after eating. In bitter melon, people find 3 valuable substances: charantin, vicine and polypeptide P. These three substances have a structure similar to insulin and have the same effect as insulin, all of which lower blood sugar.

Anti-tumor:

In bitter melon, there are some special lipoproteins. These substances have the ability to stimulate immunity, enhance the ability to find and destroy foreign cells, malignant cells, and tumor cells. Bitter melon is rich in vitamin C, this vitamin has the effect of enhancing natural immunity, enhancing the ability to remove harmful oxidants. Therefore, bitter melon is very useful.

Bright eyes:

Bitter melon is considered a fruit that brightens the eyes. Because bitter melon helps clear the liver, reduce heat, and nourish the liver and blood. These factors help brighten the eyes. Bitter melon is rich in beta carotene, which is a precursor of vitamin A that helps the eyes to be bright and clear. Traditional medicine believes that bitter melon can be used to treat chronic conjunctivitis and red eye caused by the liver.

Application corner

Speaking of bitter melon, there are countless useful effects. In general, there are 3 most easily applied effects: cooling, lowering blood sugar and purifying the mind. This summer, try applying it right away to prepare a few dishes that clear heat, detoxify and protect against the sun for your family.

Bitter melon soup with shrimp cakes:

Ingredients: You need 1000g bitter melon, 400g large fresh shrimp, 50g green onions, remember to take the whole root, coriander, fish sauce, salt, MSG, a little of each. 2.5 liters of clean water. This menu serves 4 people.

Bitter melon stuffed with meat – a favorite dish of many people

How to make: Bitter melon you must choose large, green skin, not yellow or red, best to choose fruit with big thorns. Wash, split in half, remove seeds inside, cut into pieces about 1.5 finger joints long. Put 0.5 liters of clean water in the pot, boil, put bitter melon in to blanch, remove, pour into a colander with thin mesh to drain.

Remember to choose spring onions with moderately large leaf stalks, too big will eat the flesh, too small will not be fragrant. Peel off wilted leaves, dirty skin on the bulbs. Separate the bulbs and leaves. Cut the spring onion leaves into pieces about 1 finger joint long. Chop the bulbs finely, put them in a small bowl.

The next step is to process the shrimp. The shrimp needs to be peeled and crushed. To make it easier, blanch the shrimp in hot water by pouring boiling water directly into the bowl containing the shrimp. When the shrimp turns red on the shell, it is very easy to peel. After crushing, mix the shrimp with the chopped spring onions, a little salt and a little fish sauce. This shrimp meat is called shrimp cake.

Next, make the soup. Put the shrimp cake in the heart of the bitter melon. Put it carefully so that the shrimp cake fits tightly, does not swell, does not sink, does not fall out. Marinate for 10 minutes. While waiting, prepare the coriander. Add the remaining 2 liters of clean water, bring to a boil, turn down the heat to simmer. Gently drop each piece of bitter melon in. Be careful to drop gently, simmer or the shrimp cake will come off the bitter melon, which looks very ugly. Boil for about 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Add MSG, chopped green onions, and fish sauce to taste. Pour into a bowl, sprinkle long (not sliced) coriander on top. The soup is done, eat while still warm.

Uses: The soup is nutritious, but very pure, not hot. After finishing, the bitter melon must be green, with its own sweetness, the shrimp cake clings to the bitter melon, the shrimp meat is just sweet enough. The broth is clear, slightly bitter and cool, with the natural sweetness of shrimp. Suitable for lunch or dinner, suitable for people with diabetes and people who are tired due to the heat.