Bitter Melon Recipes For Diabetes

What Is Bitter Melon?

Bitter melon, also known as bitter gourd, bitter squash, kerala, and goya, is a fruit most commonly found in Southeast Asia, Africa, and China. To get an idea of its appearance, it comes from the Cucurbitaceae family and shares characteristics of pumpkins, courgettes, and melons.

However, to put it simply, this fruit is the ugly step-sister of those. It is a long cucumber-shaped fruit with somewhat wrinkly hard skin on the outside. When eaten raw, the texture of its skin is crunchy like pepper and watery when bitten into, like a cucumber.

However, if choosing to eat it raw, please be warned of it living up to its name and having a very bitter taste.

Despite this, bitter melon is notoriously known for having some serious health benefits, one of the most prominent ones being it helping with diabetes. Cooking it can sometimes tame its bitter flavor, and it is often used in stews and curries.

This article is going to outline what makes it such a healthy food and will give you some recipes that you can try at home!

Benefits Of Bitter Melon

Despite its famously bitter taste, this fruit is extremely healthy and is packed with nutrients. It is full of cucurbitacins which are very good for your health.

According to Dr. Alghasham (2013), although these fruits are bitter, they have been used as folk medicines in several countries due to their pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammation and even anticancer effects, a result of its cucurbitacins.

They are also a great source of many nutrients. One cup of raw bitter melon contains vitamins C and A, zinc, iron, potassium, and folate. It is especially high in vitamin C, a key vitamin for a good immune system, disease prevention, and bone formation.

How Does It Help With Diabetes?

This super fruit also has been known to help reduce blood sugar levels. It is thought to encourage the secretion of insulin, the hormone responsible for blood sugar levels.

A review by Arun Kumar (2013), states that diabetes affects 16 million people in the United States and 200 million people worldwide.

He also states that one-third of individuals with diabetes use a form of alternative medicine. Using bitter melon, referred to in this review as Momordica charantia, has been common within the indigenous populations in Asia, South America, India, and East Africa.

Its medicinal values come as a result of its high antioxidant properties as mentioned above, but what makes it such a good natural remedy for diabetes are its compounds such as triterpene, proteid, steroid, alkaloid, and glycosides. These are just a few of the many properties that make it a good remedy for this condition.

Although this review states all the properties that make this fruit a good natural remedy for diabetes, more research using humans is needed.

Where Can I Find It?

Your safest bet in finding this fruit is in any Asian grocery stores or markets in the US. You may be able to find some in natural markets such as Whole Foods, but you may want to double-check by calling them up first.

Bitter Melon Recipes

Karela Juice

If you’ve taken anything at all from this article, it’s that bitter melon doesn’t taste that great, unless you’re a lover of bitter-tasting foods. However, its many health benefits really outweigh its bad taste, especially if you or someone you love is battling diabetes. Here are a few recipes to incorporate this superfood into your diet.

1. Karela Juice

Having this juice first thing in the morning on an empty stomach is a great way to avoid a spike in blood sugar levels, especially if consumed regularly. The method is as follows:

  • Wash your bitter melon (karela) thoroughly. Be sure to select fruit that is big and pale green in color.
  • Cut the fruit lengthwise and crosswise. If you don’t like the skin then peel it during this step, but the skin has many health benefits too!
  • Scoop out the seeds from each piece and discard them.
  • Chop up the rest of the karela and transfer the deseeded and chopped flesh into a mixer. If you’ve got a juicer you can use this.
  • Add ½ cup of water to the mixer. You can increase the amount of water if the bitter taste is too much for you. This will give you a more diluted juice. If you’d like some more flavor, you can add any fruit juice of your choice.
  • Blend the fruit with the liquid until smooth, then grab a sieve and strain the juice. Keep checking the consistency and add more water if need be.
  • Add the juice of a lemon once you’ve strained the liquid. For some added benefits add turmeric.

2. Bitter Melon Tacos

Let’s be real, tacos are super fun to eat, so why not try making some Mexican tacos to incorporate bitter melon into your diet.

  • Start by heating some oil in a pan and adding ¼ teaspoon of cumin seeds and 1 tablespoon of ginger and garlic.
  • Stir these ingredients and then add in 8 bitter melons, thinly sliced and saute for 5 minutes.
  • Add in ½ teaspoon of tamarind, 1 tablespoon of jaggery or brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon of turmeric, ¼ teaspoon of red chili powder, ½ teaspoon of roasted cumin seed powder, 1 teaspoon of dried mango powder.
  • Add one to two tablespoons of water, giving it a stir, and letting it cook for 5 minutes until it’s tender.
  • Add the mixture to some taco shells and voila!

3. Stir-Fried Bitter Melon With Chicken And Black Beans

If you love Asian food, you’d enjoy this stir-fried bitter melon recipe with chicken and black beans. Its ‘clean’ taste will leave you feeling super refreshed after nourishing yourself with all its vitamins and minerals.

  • Begin by slicing your bitter melons in half and scooping out the seeds. Slice them again into ¼ inch slices. Boil them in some water for a few minutes, this will reduce the bitterness. Drain and rinse them under cold water and leave them to the side.
  • Cut 4 ounces of chicken breast into strips and season it with 2 teaspoons of ginger, 1 teaspoon of rice wine, soy sauce, cooking oil, cornstarch, ½ teaspoon of sesame oil, ½ sugar, ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
  • Rinse and drain the black beans and mash together with 1 glove of garlic.
  • Cook the chicken pieces on high heat until brown. Set aside when done.
  • Lastly, add 3 tablespoons of oil and add the black beans and bitter melon and cook for 1 minute. Then add the chicken and stir fry it all together. Serve with rice.

4. Bitter Gourd Curry

Using bitter melon in curries is very popular due to its bitter taste and is the most common way it is used in Indian cuisines.

  • Begin by heating up ¼ teaspoon of methi seeds, and then add ¾ coriander powder,¼ teaspoon of chili and turmeric powder and cook for around 30 seconds.
  • Add in two bitter melons, thinly sliced into roughly 3 inch long pieces, and some salt. Cover and cook for around 5 minutes.
  • Add in 1 thinly sliced onion and cook until it is brown.
  • Finally, add ¼ teaspoon of garam masala and mango powder (lemon juice if you can’t find any) and mix all together.
  • Service with roti or rice.

5. Sauteed Bitter Gourd

If a whole meal revolving around bitter melon is a bit much for you, you can try this recipe and serve it as a side dish.

  • Begin by slicing 1 pound of the fruit into 4 pieces length-wise and scooping out the seeds. Chop up the remaining parts and leave them to the side.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of tamarind and ½ teaspoon of salt to the fruit, mix it up and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This will get rid of the bitter taste.
  • Chop up ½ cup of onion and set aside along with ¾ teaspoon of red chili powder, ½ teaspoon of turmeric, and 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds.
  • Add some oil to a pan and add a pinch of mustard seeds to medium heat. Then add the bitter melon pieces with some extra turmeric.
  • Cook for 10 minutes mixing well.
  • Add the onions and cook for around 5 minutes, then add the chili powder (add coriander powder for more flavor).
    Serve up.

Final Thoughts

Due to the vast amount of vitamins it carries, and its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, bitter melon is a very healthy food source for anyone.

What makes it such a good option for people with diabetes is its record for reducing blood sugar levels. Although it has not been approved by the FDA as a medicine for diabetes, there’s no harm in trying to incorporate this fruit into your diet.

References

Author: P. Sze

P. Sze P. Sze is the founder of TCM Tips and Dragon Acupuncture®. She graduated from the National University of Singapore with a first-class honor in Civil Engineering. S he also holds a master’s degree in Engineering and is the brain behind the innovative TCM products of Dragon Acupuncture®. She is the author of The Beginner's Guide to Auricular Therapy: Application of Ear Seeds (ISBN 978-1520451398) and Facial Gua Sha - Fight the Signs of Aging Naturally and Inexpensively (ISBN 978-1980678922). She has dedicated her life to ensuring that the complex theories behind oriental medicine and the seemingly dangerous techniques that involve needles and fire do not scare you from trying oriental medicine. This is why she writes endlessly about acupressure and its countless health and wellness benefits.

Press ESC to close

Scroll to Top