I call them fusion salad, because they use ingredients, seasonings, and cooking methods from different cuisines.
It is summer again here in Texas. How about getting out of comfort zone and trying some bitter melon? How about being a little wild and eating it raw?
Many people do not like the bitter taste from this fine vegetable. I do not either, but I find counter-balances to make a dish that people like. You might as well.
Ingredient (for 2-4 people):
2 bitter melon (pick the fresh ones, and find the crisp kind locally)
1 stem of green onion
4 stems of cilantro
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp fruit vinegar
1.5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
0.5 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Olive oil
Finely ground pepper (2-4 turns)
Salt
Directions:
1. Wash the vegetables thoroughly
2. Cross cut the bitter melon into 2” sections
2. Peel off the green layer to use for this dish
3. Julienne the peels
(some people split the melon length-wise and scrap off the white layer. If you do it that way, cross cut the melon into slices. Here, I want to be clear off the white layer while not bruising the good part.)
4. Finely chop the green onion and cilantro
5. Mix the rest of the ingredients to make sauce (leave out the salt for later)
6. Mix the sauce with vegetables
7. Rest the vegetables in refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes, and flip the vegetable a couple of times
8. Before serving, taste the salad, and add a small amount of salt/soy sauce, or sugar if necessary to meet your taste.
Notes:
If you are a purist, you can replace balsamic vinegar, fruit vinegar, pepper, and olive oil with Zhenjiang vinegar, rice vinegar and chili pepper oil. You will need to check on the ratio of sugar and vinegar for your taste.
If you have a lemon at hand, you can deduct one tbsp of fruit vinegar, and add one tbsp of lemon juice and some lemon zest to the sauce.
If your palate tells you that the bitter taste almost belongs there, you get the seasoning spot-on.