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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Stir fry Bitter Gourd Spindle With Mushrooms



When I was young , I never like bitter gourd and my mom loved to cook for dinner as one of the veggie dishes…telling us how good it was for our blood etc etc….the same old tales we have to hear over and over again and today wasn’t I glad that by her frequent cooking of this dish , I grew to love the taste of this bitterish yet delicious veggie called bitter gourd :) A bowl of nutrients, minerals and vitamins, bitter gourd possess innumerable health benefits and healing properties. Stir fry is one way of cooking bitter gourd and the Chinese cooked them in soup or as tea too.

Talking about bitter gourd cooked as tea…I remembered I had acne problem when I was in my teens and my mom will boil bitter gourd tea for me….ewwww u imagine how horrible it tasted… to glup down a big cup of bitterish water every alternate days after school. The healing of acnes ! It helps detoxify the blood… and today I gave the same treatment to my Piggy boy…..gave him a taste of what I went through as a teenager with acne problem :p He hates the tea but he loves to eat it stir fries though :))

Yesterday , I tried stir fry bitter gourd spindle with enoki and Korean mushrooms (buna shimeiji) It was a good combination…a simple yet delightful dish. I love it and hope you too will appreciate this dish….lots of goodness in this dish.

bitter gourd spindle...lots of nutrients
Vitamin A, B1, B2, C and Iron

stir fry with enoki and shimeiji mushrooms

crunchy texture from the three ingredients
spindle slices , enoki and shimeiji
what a wonderful combinations!





Stir Fry Bitter Gourd Spindle With Mushrooms

Ingredients:

4 bitter gourd spindle - cut into thin slices
1 bunch of enoki mushrooms
1 bunch of shimeiji _ korean mushrooms
4 pips of garlic- chopped fine
1/4 tsp of salted black beans
2 bird-eye chillies - seeded
1 tbsp of olive oil

thickening

pinch of salt
1 tsp of corn flour
5 tbsp of water


Method:

Heat up olive oil in a non stick pan, add in garlic and salted black beans and saute till fragrant. Add in the bitter gourd slices, chillies and all the mushrooms and stir fry till cooked . Add in the thickening and cooked for another 3 minutes. Dish up and served with rice.


Enjoy a healthy dish with me :)))



** extra notes on Bitter Gourds

For centuries, bitter gourd has been widely used as a natural remedy for many health complexions. Its properties are antidotal, antipyretic tonic, appetizing, stomachic, antibilious and laxative. It contains higher concentrations of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, phosphorus and carbohydrates. This vegetable is a panacea medicine for the diabetes. The rich concentrations of Vitamin A, B1, B2, C and Iron provide relief in many health complexions including eye complications, neuritis, hypertension and defective metabolism of carbohydrates. It helps in purifying blood tissues as well as in enhancing digestive system.






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12 comments:

  1. Hey Elin, nice post, I used to avoid bittergourd when I was young tastewise but when I just started cooking, u have to deal with taste of every ingredients and I turn out loving it n yes, nutritious wise... Its real good for your blood...

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  2. I love bittergourd! My mum loves to prepare them in a claypot, or stir-fried with whipped egg...I think they are just good cooked in any way. Even as a salad!

    Angie's Recipes

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  3. this is a first I am hearing about bittergourd. I must keep an eye out for it!

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  4. I have never had this, but would love to try! My granny use to have large gourds, I dont know the variety, that you dry and make a birdhouse out of, thats my only gourd experience!

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  5. Elin, what a great post. I've never seen bitter gourds before but am going to keep my eyes open at this weeks farmers market! Thanks for sharing this info :)

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  6. bittergourd is my mum's fav. she has been, and is still forcing me to take, but have yet to succeed. i am just a very picky eater. i have yet to introduce it to my kids.

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  7. Locally name 'peria'. That small one is much bitter same as small chillies is much hot. It's also know of medically to health and eat raw better

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  8. Nice dish, but have never tried cooking with this specie of bitter gourd, usually get the normal type.
    Will give it a try....the ladies at the market place told me that this type is more bitter, but it does cleanse the body...detoxify.
    Thumbs up, Elin

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  9. I hate bittergourd but I would definitely give your dish a try! It looks too good to pass. Do you find that these spindles taste more bitter than regular bittergourd? Sigh, as I age, I better eat the food that are good for me, even if they are not my faves, LOL!

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  10. @ Chef Nash : Most people don't like the bitter taste of this gourd :)) but the after taste is good LOL! it took quite a while for me to love it and with the good medicine value...I go all out for it :p but seriously it is good to eat...yumm

    @ Angie's Recipes : Hi Angie, yup no matter how u cook them they will taste good ...yesss even as a salad :)

    @ Jessie : I hope you can get them over at your place :)

    @Southern Grace Gourmet: haha, this gourd taste bitterish but nice to eat though. Hope u get to taste them one day :)

    @ Diana Bauman : Hi Diana, how are you? I am glad that you are eager to try them out and hopefully you can get them from your farmers market :)

    @ Skinnymum: Oh no, kids may not like them becoz of the bitterish taste...wait for them to be a little grown up then they may learn to appreciate it...haha you will frighten them off by introducing to them at this stage :))

    @ bumiperak : Hi Zainal, thanks for dropping by. Yup it is called peria in the malay language. Wa..you too knows about the goodness of this 'peria' LOL!

    @ Ni -FrillsRecipe : Hi Cheah, you must try this spindle gourd ...it is better than the normal long bitter gourd. It gives you the oomph...haha it is slightly more bitter than the long one but it do taste yummy!

    @ The Little Teochew: LOL ! yup prevention is better than cure. I am slowly introducing healthy food to the family...as I have always live by these motto...eat moderately :))))

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  11. I used to hate bittergourd, now I enjoy eating it. I've never cooked the small ones actually, my mum use these to make juice for my dad. I believe they are less bitter?

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  12. Hi Pigpigscorner :)

    The smaller ones are more bitter and they have more medicinal value especially for high blood pressure and diabetes :)) but I enjoy the taste of this smaller ones...got oomphh :p

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