Fruiting vegetables
Dried Bitter Melon (Goya)Drying Time, Storage and Rehydrating to Soften the Bitterness
Bitter melon, called goya in Japan, is a classic summer vegetable best known from Okinawan cooking. Its distinctive bitterness is the whole point. Outside Japan, look for it at Asian grocery stores, sometimes labeled “bitter gourd” or “karela”.
Drying deepens the flavor and concentrates the bitterness. Bitter melon loses water easily, and on a sunny day it’s crisp in just one day. Well dried, it keeps a long time at room temperature, which is perfect when you have a big harvest.
| Drying time | Storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Dry | 1–3 days | 1–2 months at room temperature |
| Semi-dried | 4 hours–half a day | 5 days in the fridge |
Drying times assume drying during the day in sunny weather and bringing them in at night.
How to dry bitter melon
- Remove the seeds and pith: Halve lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and white pith with a spoon. Leftover pith dries slowly and can spoil.
- Cut: Slice about 7 mm (¼ in) thick. An even thickness means even drying.
- Lay out and dry: Spread the slices on a basket without overlapping, somewhere sunny and breezy. Bring them in by evening.
Where and when to dry is covered in How to Dry Vegetables, and tools in Tools for Drying Vegetables.
When it’s done
Dry (1–3 days)
It’s done when the slices have shrunk thin, turned a brownish green, and snap when bent.
Semi-dried (4 hours–half a day)
The surface is dry and the slices are a little limp. Used in goya champuru (Okinawan bitter melon stir-fry), they don’t make it watery.
Day by day
Before drying
Day 1
Day 2
Storage
- Dry: Put completely crisp slices in a bag or airtight container with a desiccant, and keep somewhere cool and out of direct sun. They keep 1–2 months.
- Semi-dried: Keep in a bag in the fridge and use within about 5 days.
Fuzzy white or green growth, black spots or a bad smell are signs of mold or spoilage. Don’t eat it; throw it away. More in How to Store Dried Vegetables.
Rehydrating and using it
- Rehydrate: Soak dry slices in water for 10–15 minutes, then blanch for 1–2 minutes before using.
- To soften the bitterness: Add a pinch of salt to the blanching water, or rinse in cold water after blanching. Pairing it with oil, egg or tofu makes the bitterness less noticeable.
- Good in: Goya champuru, tsukudani (simmered in soy sauce and sugar), stir-fries, miso soup.
- Goya tea: Toast completely crisp slices in a dry frying pan over low heat without burning them, put them in a teapot, and pour boiling water over. It makes a toasty tea with a clean bitterness.
