Brilio.net - Bitter melon is known to have a bitter taste, but many people actually like it because of its nutritional content that is good for the body. According to web.md.com, bitter melon contains vitamins C, A, magnesium, iron, and many other nutrients that are useful for controlling blood sugar, maintaining nerve health, and reducing the risk of heart disease.
Bitter melon can be processed into various dishes such as stir-fries, fried with flour, or filled with siomay dough. Even so, some are reluctant to consume bitter melon because of its bitter taste, especially children who are usually difficult to get to eat bitter melon.
There are several ways to reduce the bitter taste of bitter melon, so you can enjoy it without worrying about the bitter taste. One common way is to squeeze the bitter melon with salt before processing, so that the sap that causes the bitter taste can dissolve and disappear. However, this method often makes the texture of the bitter melon soft, so some people look for other ways to remove the bitter taste.
TikTok user @endahomemade shared another method to reduce the bitter taste of bitter melon. In her video, she uses another kitchen ingredient that turns out to be very effective.
"The secret to reducing bitter melon by up to 90%," he said in a video quoted by BrilioFood from TikTok @endahomemade on Monday (9/9).
The method is, first cut the top of the bitter melon then split it into two parts. After that, scrape the white center of the bitter melon until clean.
photo: TikTok/@endahomemade
Then, slice the bitter melon to taste. For stir-fries, the bitter melon can be sliced thinly. After slicing, do not wash it immediately, but soak it first in a citric acid solution. Yes, citric acid is a kitchen ingredient used to remove the bitter taste of bitter melon.
photo: TikTok/@endahomemade
"Just soak for two to five minutes," he explained further.
He also explained that citric acid is safe to use because it is a food additive, although it is often used for other purposes such as cleaning.
After soaking in the citric solution for five minutes, the sap that causes the bitter taste in bitter melon will dissolve, so that the bitter taste disappears.
"Let's try it, yes, the bitterness is reduced a lot," he said again.
photo: TikTok/@endahomemade
After that, the bitter melon can be washed under running water. As a result, the bitter melon that is clean and free from bitterness still has a texture that is not soft. Interested in trying?
photo: TikTok/@endahomemade