Most people don’t mind a little bitter gourd in their diet. This fruit is believed to lower blood sugar levels and has a “cooling” effect on the body. However, most people merely tolerate bitter gourd and don’t really enjoy the bitter taste. Thus, many cooks have come up with various ways to reduce the bitterness of this fruit.

One of the most popular methods is to salt the sliced bitter gourd and then drain the liquid that is expressed. Don’t do that! I’ve tried it before. Not only does the bitterness remain, the bitter gourd slices will taste too salty even if you rinse them with water after salting.

Here’s a much better method. First, you’d slice the bitter gourd and set it aside. There’s no need to salt. Then, fry the bitter gourd slices in a good amount of oil for a few minutes. After that, pour some water into the pan, bring it to a boil and drain off the excess water. This will get rid of the bitterest bit.

My seasoning is very simple. Some bean paste, some XO sauce and a couple of teaspoons of sugar. Mix the seasoning with the fried and boiled bitter gourd slices and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add some prawns, simmer for another 5 minutes and the dish is done.

The bitter gourd tastes sweet with just a hint of bitterness. It’s so tasty that even the kids would love it. Do try this at home.