Crispy Fried Bitter Melon
By: rlene
Published: Saturday, December 4, 2010 - 3:21am

Ingredients




1 pound whole bitter melons, washed
salt
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
3 pimentoes, diced
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation

1 Cut ends of caraille and slice through lengthways. 2 Scoop out seeds using a spoon, discard seeds. 3 Thinly slice flesh. 4 Salt well- I used 2 tbsp regular salt. 5 Let sit for at least 20 minutes. 6 Place sliced, salted caraille in a clean kitchen towel and twist firmly to squeeze out moisture 7 When no more liquid can be squeezed out, spread on a large flat dish or tray to "dry" for a further 15-20 minutes 8 Place a large saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp oil. 9 Add onions, garlic, pimiento, cumin and scotch bonnet pepper and fry gently until onions are transluscent. 10 Add caraille and mix well with other ingredients. 11 Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until caraille is no longer bright green and looks dry and crisp, about 20 minutes.