What’s Cooking is a series in which I answer questions and share advice about food and cooking that you have but may be too shy to ask.
“I cooked fry karaila last week and the entire pan of karaila turned to mush! How come the karaila I ate from you was different?” That was the question I got from a friend of mine last weekend.
Karaila, also known as bitter melon, bitter gourd, and bitter squash among other names, belongs to the cucumber family and cucumbers as we all know are mostly water; 95 percent actually. Karaila, being a member of the same tropical family is 91 percent water. Therefore, it is understandable that unless treated in a particular way, prior to cooking and/or actual cooking, the vegetable is likely to soften to the extent that when tossed or turned, it melts, becoming almost spreadable. Personally, I do not really believe that there is a right or wrong way to cook karaila, it comes down to a matter of personal preference. And frankly, all of us prefer certain things cooked in particular ways to yield specific textures and flavours.
