LUST for LIFE

Do you have a craving for bitter gourd? I can understand if you say “no”. It is often used in Chinese cooking for its bitter flavour. Usually stir-fried with meat or prepared as soups. This vegetable is also widely used in Indian and Pakistani cooking, where it is often prepared with potatoes and served with yogurt.

Due to the bitter taste, it is seldom mixed with other vegetables. When I was young, I recall my mother salting it and then soaking the cut melon in water for a while before cooking yo moderate the bitter taste to a certain extent. Still, I didn’t take a liking to the dishes that mom cooked with bitter gourd. Very often, I resorted to swallowing the bitter stuffs without chewing.

There is a restaurant (non-halal) in Petaling Jaya which specializes in preparing Teochew dishes using bitter gourd or bitter melons as the central ingredient. Initially, I was quite hesitant to dine here. Goodness gracious, every dish with bitter gourd. But having noticed the large dining crowd each time I passed by, soon drew us in one evening. And the outcome of our dining experience? Very palatable! The chef has done a good job in concocting the menu and preparing them without that awful bitter taste. If you are game enough, head for Taman SEA; the place is called Restoran Fu Kua. It literally translates to ‘Bitter Gourd Restaurant’, and is located along the same road as the WWF office.

Apart from being used in preparing culinary dishes, the bitter gourd is also used in traditional medicines of Asia and Africa. Said to possess excellent medicinal and curative properties, it is used as an antidotal, antipyretic tonic, appetizer, antibilious and laxative. Now I know that mom knew the wholesome goodness of bitter gourd.