Do you need to blanch bitter melon?

In the hot summer, you must make the right choices in your diet. For example, bitter melon has a good effect of cooling down and relieving heat. It can also lower blood lipids, blood sugar, promote appetite, and most importantly, it can prevent and fight cancer. It can be said to be a good food ingredient. As the name suggests, bitter melon has a bitter taste, so it is best to blanch it in water before cooking, but not for too long, no more than 1 minute.

1. Do I need to blanch bitter melon before stir-frying it?

It is best to blanch the bitter melon in water before eating it, and the blanching time should not exceed 1 minute.

The reason why bitter melon needs to be blanched before eating is because the oxalic acid content in bitter melon is relatively high, with 459 mg in every 100 grams of bitter melon. These oxalic acids combine with calcium in the body to form calcium oxalate, which is definitely harmful and not beneficial to the body.

If you blanch the bitter melon in boiling water, you can remove most of the oxalic acid in the bitter melon and reduce the bitterness of the bitter melon.

However, the bitterness of bitter melon comes from the momordica charantia it contains. The main reason why bitter melon has health benefits such as weight loss and lowering blood sugar is that it is rich in momordica charantia. Although blanching can remove harmful oxalic acid, it will also cause some precious bitter melon elements to be lost into the water, thereby reducing the health benefits of bitter melon.

2. The correct way to blanch bitter melon

1. First, boil the water in the pot, add a small amount of salt and a few drops of cooking oil, and then put in the cut bitter gourd and blanch it.

2. The blanching time of bitter melon should not exceed 1 minute. Then take out the bitter melon immediately and immerse it in ice water to quickly cool it down. After the temperature drops to room temperature, take it out and drain it immediately. Soaking it in water for a long time will also lead to the loss of more bitter melon elements.

3. What are the benefits of eating bitter melon?

1. Promote diet, reduce inflammation and reduce fever: Momordica charantia and bitter substances in bitter melon can increase appetite, strengthen the spleen and stimulate the appetite; the bioalkali substance quinine it contains has the effects of diuresis, blood circulation, anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing, clearing the mind and improving eyesight.

2. Anti-cancer and anti-tumor: The protein components and large amounts of vitamin C in bitter melon can enhance the body's immune function and enable immune cells to kill cancer cells. Bitter melon juice contains a certain protein component that can enhance macrophage capacity and is clinically effective against lymphosarcoma and leukemia. The trypsin inhibitor extracted from bitter melon seeds can inhibit the protease secreted by cancer cells and prevent the growth of malignant tumors.

3. Lower blood sugar: The fresh juice of bitter melon contains momordica glycosides and insulin-like substances, which has a good effect on lowering blood sugar and is an ideal food for diabetic patients.