Bittergourd Kerabu

Fancy eating bittergourd raw? In the first place, I know that there are people who do not like bittergourd for the obvious reason that it is bitter. The common tip used is to rub the bittergourd slices with salt and rinse it off to remove the bitterness. I have always skipped that step as I do not mind the bitter taste at all (actually it is because I am too lazy). I can't remember exactly when I started to appreciate bittergourd. I think it must be the chicken with bittergourd dish that I tasted at the "chap fan" (mixed rice) stall. It was cooked with chicken and black bean sauce and it was very tasty.

Or it could have been the bittergourd fried with eggs that I ate in a restaurant in Klang. That dish made bittergourd so tasty, with its "wok hei" aroma which reminded me of fried koay teow. Bittergourd has many health benefits the most significant would be its ability to lower blood glucose levels and dietary carbohydrate digestion (I like that!). You can read more about the health benefits here.

I came across Bittergourd Kerabu in Kak Liza's cookbook "Senangnya Memasak.....Kerabu & Salad". Much as I like bittergourd, the thought of eating it raw was not very encouraging. But I had to give it a try before I draw any conclusions. The variety of bittergourd used for this kerabu is commonly known as "peria katak". It is the smaller version of the regular bittergourd that we normally see in the supermarket.

The first time I made this kerabu, I followed Kak Liza's recipe where the dressing is made simply with lime juice, sugar and salt (or fish sauce). I was pleasantly surprised that the kerabu tasted very good in spite of the bitter taste which was not overpowering at all. The important thing to do is to slice the bittergourd as thinly as possible.

This time, I am using sambal belacan and I think it tastes even better. I have added extra corriander leaves as I love the flavor and aroma that it brings to the kerabu. You can of course add other herbs and vegetables as you see fit. This kerabu is very appetizing eaten with just simple plain fried fish. I would not mind exploring other salads using raw bittergourd.

Bitter Gourd Kerabu (Kerabu Peria)

Recipe source : Translated from Senangnya Memasak...Kerabu dan Salad (page 19)
(My notes and adaptations in red)

Ingredients :

- 5 small bittergourds (I used 3)

- 5 red chillies (I omitted)

- 3 green chillies (I omitted)

- 5 cili padi (optional)(I omitted)

- 1/2 carrot (grated)

- 1 big onion

- 1 small bunch corriander

- 3 limes              )

- 1 tbsp sugar     ) See my dressing below

- Salt to taste      )

Method :

1. Slice bittergourd thinly and soak in salt water briefly. Rinse and drain. (I skipped  the soaking)

2.Cut all other vegetables thinly.

3. Mix everything with lime juice, salt and sugar (I mixed with the dressing in note below)

4. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Serve with rice and grilled fish.

Note : For the sambal belacan dressing, I mixed 1 tablespoon sambal belacan, I tablespoon plum sauce, I tablespoon fish sauce with juice of 2 limes (limau nipis).

This post is also linked to Cook-Your-Books #6 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.