Forest Bitter Melon (Khổ Qua Rừng) has another name is Boh Pan (Ê Đê name). This fruit is considered as one Traditional Vietnamese Food. It is an annual herbaceous vine, small grow wild, and live commonly in mountainous and midland. The leaf is similar with annual melon; however the fruit is small like a finger and has a bitter flavor. Trees are often found growing in open forest areas, most are on the new burning clean milpa.
Forest bitter melon are used widely as a vegetable, however there is no one plant it at their home’s garden. They just collect them on the upland field for the additional daily meals when are on spare time. This fruit can be processed for cooking soup, stir fry. If you are invited this Traditional Vietnamese Food when you come Dak Lak’s home, it means that you are your best visitors.
Forest bitter melon has a bitter taste like other bitter melon; however this taste is really better and acceptable for the diners. When we eat this food may have wrinkled some fierce frown because of unbearable bitterness. Nevertheless, if people keep eating it, the sweet flavor comes later and you will love too much. In recent years, some luxury restaurants serve this Traditional Vietnamese Food on their menu and are highly assessed by the customers due to its special flavor.
Similar with bitter melon which is sold in the market, the forest bitter melon can be used in soup or fried with eggs, beef, poultry offal or the special type of local residents that fried with dried fish and some package of instant noodles. Due to the shape of forest bitter melon, people just the heads and tails of this fruit and then take out the all inside part out and clean it clearly.
There are many delicious foods in the forest; however people only love animal food like tiger, snake, and chicken. Why one fruit like forest bitter melon is not known widely? It is one missing thing of mostly people. Come to Dak Lak to enjoy this Traditional Vietnamese Food to expand your food knowledge. Hope you have an excited trip in my beautiful country.
From EZ Vietnamese Cuisine Team.
