Friday, August 26, 2011

"Patience is bitter, but it bears sweet fruit.”

Today my darling husband was out running errands and stumbled upon a Asian Market in Chantilly call Lotte that was highly reccomended. I would normally want to to go with him but my lazy butt was cat napping at home. He brought home all sorts of delights . .pomegranites, leechees, guavas, seeweed salad (my favorite!) and an Indian snack called treat Pani Puri. Pair any of these with a box of red and you have a perfect nite cap. I got a good man.

With these fantastic treat he also brought me some bitter melon . . . uhh . . . thanks?

Bitter Melon is exactly that  . .a really really really bitter ass vegetable. Not only is it bitter but it is ugly. I was slightly confused why on earth he thought I might want this thing. I can only imagine that I mentioned it once and he thought he was doing good. I did not complain since I take what can get when it comes to my husbands romantic gestures. In fact, I was up for the challenge.

Last time I did anything with bitter melon it was 3 years ago when my MIL was still alive. She took me to the local Gran Mart and we brought home 2 bitter melons cut and stuffed them. They were so freaking bitter and unpleasant. It was just an experiment and she only cooked it because I was curious so the meal was considered a learning experience/experiment. I decided that it was something I did not want to try again.

And then came today  . . .

It's not like I had to make it today but the thought of that nasty little vegetable taking up space in my fridge just bothered me. I started checking out recipes and sifting through curry after curry after stuffed melon after stuffed melon and nothing jumped out as special or worth a shot. When in doubt . . fry.

And the Lord saw this and he said it was good.



Fried Bitter Melon

1 medium bitter melon
1/4 cup salt
1 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/8 cup rice flour
1 Tbl cumin
1 tsp garam masla
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of pepper

1. cut melon lengthwise and scrape out seeds -slice melon into thin slices.
2. Cover wit salt and lemon juice and let sit for an hour

3. Heat fryer to 375
4.mix the flours and spices together
5. After the hour is up take the melon out of liquid and add to flour

6. Fry until golden brown
7. ENJOY! I recommend serving with  a tamarind chutney or vegan raita





1 comment:

  1. I love Lotte mart. My ex and I used to run there all the time for sushi (before I was veg). And they have so many inexpensive fruits. It's worth it just to go down for pomegranates, I swear!

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