Okinawas most iconic goya champuru is a stir fry dish with bitter melon, tofu, egg, and pork belly. Place it on a cutting board and slice the bitter melon in half, lengthwise. The bitter melon is nicknamed magic melon because of numerous health benefits see last weeks post, but i think the transformation that happens inside as the fruit matures is also a bit magical. In bitter melon, chow tackles the very same issues raised in the article but presents the story from the childs perspective. Rinse the bitter melon under cold water and pat dry. Frances, a chineseamerican student at an academically competitive sc. Bitter melon is the autobiography, in photos and oral histories, of a very small town in the delta of the sacramentosan joaquin rivers in central california. Bitter melon by cara chow, nancy wu, audio cd barnes. Wild bitter gourd, momordica charantia, or bitter melon is a tropical vegetable native to asia. I would have liked seeing some more shades of grey for a more nuanced and compelling story. The crispy bitter melon recipe will be your favorite vegetable dish if you like healthy and bitter vegetable stir fries a small amount of spices make this bitter melon recipe flavorful and not overpowering bitter. Bitter melon is a plant that grows in parts of africa, asia, the caribbean, and south america.
Bitter melon can be grown much like cucumbers or cantaloupes but they are a subtropical plant and require at least. In 1987, james and writer jeff gillenkirk put together a book, bitter melon. Cara chow was born in hong kong and grew up in the richmond district of san francisco, where bitter melon is set. I can definitely relate to it and its very relate able in most aspects. It has never even occurred to frances to question her own feelings and desires until she accidentally winds up in speech. Ive been trying to figure out how to separate my personal reaction to cara chows bitter melon from the book itself and actually, you know. Cara chow with the encouragement of one of her teachers, a chinese american high school senior asserts herself against her demanding, oldschool mother and carves out an identity for herself in late 1980s san. If the bitter melon is super bumpy like the indian type called karela, scrape off the. It does this because it contains a compound called charantin. Goodreads members who liked bitter melon also liked. The bitter melon is dressed with tofu and sesame sauce, and its not only healthy and light but also delicious. Scoop out the seeds and white foamy part by using a spoon, or cut it out with a paring knife. This fruit is delicate and should be handled with care. Though at first glance this book may seem like a book about rebelling against the stereotypical chinese tiger mom, its actually about a girl.
Because bitter melon juice influenced insulin production in the pancreas, scientists wondered if maybe there might be other implications for the pancreas. It is a book that deals with tough love, heartbreak, hopes, dreams and family abuse. They are written in free form and most of them have a message for the reader. This centennial edition of bitter melon is the most. It is sensitive to cold and should not be stored below 50 degrees f. Overview information bitter melon is a vegetable used in india and other asian countries. Bitter melon foo gwa are in farmers and asian markets now. Once the mission chinese popup took up occupancy at lung shan, a chinese takeout spot in the mission district of san francisco, bowien took an interest in the foods the. Frances does not want to eat the melon but her mother tells her, if you eat bitterness all the time, you will get use to it. They dont look like melons, their shape is more like a slender gourd or a plump zucchini. Review for bitter melon by cara chow reading asian am.
A few months ago, the wall street journal article, why chinese mothers are superior. In this recipe for pork with bitter melon, it is stirfried for a minute and then simmered with pork and. Bitter melon lowers blood sugar the top health benefit of bitter melon is that it helps control insulin levels and lowers blood sugar. Inside americas last rural chinese town, a collection of oral histories and portraits from locke.
With bitter melon, bigger is not better, just more bitter. Add the bitter melon in the last stages of stirfrying. Bitter melon book hamilton public library bibliocommons. Momordica charantia an overview sciencedirect topics. The bitter melon is a member of the cucurbitaceae family, which includes squash, watermelon, muskmelon, and cucumbers. Danny bowien, chef of mission chinese food and one of just a few chefs cooking bitter melon for a primarily unknowing crowd, came to love bitter melon in a very strange way. The poems are about the feelings, experiences and passions of the author. Consumption of bitter melon is capable of lowering blood glucose levels by increasing hepatic utilization of glucose and decreasing hepatic glucose output kuhn, 2002.
With her bags packed, she says goodbye and thank you to theresa for her help and boards the plane. Fruits are 69 inches long and about 3 inches in diameter. If there is a bitter melon sparknotes, shmoop guide, or cliff notes, you can find a link to each study. Symptoms of cold exposure include pitting, discolored areas, and a high incidence of decay. Bitter melon is very low in calories, carrying just 17 calories per 100 g. This popular savory dish is a truly rustic yet well.
There are about 1015 pages of really useful information at most. This centennial edition of bitter melon is the most recently updated version of this classic book. Freebooknotes found 2 sites with book summaries or analysis of bitter melon. A conversation with bitter melon photographer james motlow. There is a complete absence of information about bitter melon, so this book is good in that regard. In 1915 a group of immigrants from the zhongshan area of southern china. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Bitter melon momordica charantia is a member of the squash family and is very popular in asia, africa, caribbean, india and middle eastern counties. Tender and high quality fruits with slightly bitter taste are very popular in taiwan, for stirfry, salad, stuffing and soup. In bitter melon, chow tackles the very same issues raised in the article. Stirfry for about 2 minutes, then splash with the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. This hybrid variety grows beautiful white bitter melons that are very marketable in the marketplace, attractive in your backyard and tasty on the dinner table. As you may know, the usable part of the bitter melon is the green, bumpy outside part. Immerse yourself in the stories from this unique town the sacramento bee once described as the monte carlo of california.
As you would a cucumber, keep bitter melon in the fridge in a vegetable drawer. The title of the book, bitter melon originates from a part in the book where frances and her mother are eating a bitter melon during dinner. Find books like bitter melon from the worlds largest community of readers. Resolution frances buys a plane ticket and has theresa drive her to the airport. Bitter melon can be stored in the fruit bin of the refrigerator covered and unwashed for four to five days.
Gut soothing bitter melon smoothie pickled plum food and. Bitter melon, is an independent 2018 american dark comedy film directed by h. Bitter melon by elvis alves meet your next favorite book. The mother in bitter melon is incredibly unlikeable. A town like no other, locke, california celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2015.
But it is very short, and much of the information seems silly to even offer. Frances, a chineseamerican student at an academically competitive school in san francisco, has always had it drilled into her to be obedient to her mother and to be a straighta student so that she can go to med school. With the encouragement of one of her teachers, a chinese american high school senior asserts herself against her demanding, oldschool mother and carves out an identity for herself in late 1980s san francisco. In traditional chinese and indian medicine, bitter melon has been used to heal wounds, treat fever, cough, skin conditions, colic, burns, and as an antiviral. Bitter melon is one of numerous books written about asian teens. She flies to scripps college where she can finally be free and. Achingly painful, heartbreakingly sad, yet full of youthful promise and resilience, cara chows bitter melon tells the anguished story of frances and her chinese born mother who berates and belittles her not only in private but in front of family members, teachers, and strangers. Locke was built on rented land in 1915 by a group of immigrants from the zhongshan area of southern china. It debuted at the 2018 san francisco international asian american film festival and was released theatrically by abscbn on december 7, 2018 and on. From amazon a town like no other, locke, california celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2015. Their green skin is rutted with bumpy furrows and their. Bitter melon authors james motlow and jeff gillenkirk tell audience many tales behind the scenes that produced their book from gene beley on vimeo.
Her mother has perfected the guilt trip into high drama and reminds frances daily that everything shes. The book opens with a disgusting scene where frances is being forced to massage her mothers stomach as her mother loudly belches due to her ongoing stomach problems. Bitter melon is the third film by awardwinning writerdirectorcomposer h. I recently spoke with james about his favorite portraits in.