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Sunday, December 1, 2013

VEGETABLE OF THE WEEK - PARE KODOK

This week is the best time for my pare (Momordica charantia).
Pare is well known as bitter gourd or bitter cucumber.
In Indonesia it's also called paria.

fruits
Pare is an annual vine.
This plant is a member of Cucurbitae family.

the shoots

I planted it on my beds.
I plant three varieties of pare.


 

This is a local variety 'Pare Kodok'.
Kodok means frog.

 

This is an exotic and  popular vegetables in Indonesia.
Exotic...
Why?
They have a unique shapes.

fruit and young fruit
They also have beautiful flowers...
The flowers spread soft scent in the morning.
So lovely...

Male flower
The yellow flowers look so stunning.
Male flowers have brighter color.
And the female flowers have paler yellow color.

female flower

Pare have bitter taste, but will change to a delicious and tasty dish after it's cooked.

fruit split
We usually knead the  fruits that have been chopped with salt to reduce the bitter taste, even lost it bitterness. 

chopped fruits
This morning I cooked a traditional dish 'oseng pare' or bitter gourd - stir fry.
This dish is very popular in Central Java.

oseng pare
It will be a great side dish for hot white rice.
Yummm... 




8 comments:

  1. You do grow some fascinating things.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like to collect many kind of plants, especially a rare or unusual plants. That's really chalenging.

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  2. We have a very small relative of that only it isn't good to eat as it has sharp needles like things on the gourd. There is not much more than tiny seeds in it. Your plant has a nice bright color.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe your gourd like as a wild gourd here. That gourd is not edible. We can find that gourd climb on the tree or grow wildly near the woods and rivers

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  3. Replies
    1. Maybe this plant can grow well in your climate during the summer.

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  4. Where can i have a little seeds to be grownd myself? Tq

    ReplyDelete
  5. assalamualaikum bu Endah, dimana kami bisa mendapatkan benis pare kodok
    terimakasih , Hendri 081322282192

    ReplyDelete