I found one bitter melon on my vine ready to harvest. Not quite enough to make a black bean beef stir fry so I pondered whether to make a bitter melon omelet for breakfast but I’ve been feeling like I’ve been eating too much lately so a boiled egg and some oatmeal would be a lighter meal for me. So, I decided to pickle the bitter melon. I’ve pickled it namasu style in the past. This time, I found a recipe on the Indiscriminate Omnivore blog that I wanted to try. I had all the ingredients in my pantry so I went for it.

I thinly sliced the bitter melon and salted it for a few minutes. After draining the liquid that came out, I added some salt, pepper, sesame oil, minced garlic, rice vinegar, and sugar to the bitter melon and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. That’s it. Since I love sesame oil, I thought it was yummy! I would make it again! Maybe I’d add a dash of shichimi pepper too. Living Hilo Style.