Karela Fry

Karela or bitter gourd is not a vegetable that most of them like. But the benefits of this gourd are many.
So, today I present to you a bitter-less way of enjoying the bitter gourd or karela fry. My dad prepared this the best. I miss his cooking, and everything else. I dedicate this post to him, with love.

Ingredients

6 tender bitter gourds

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp Dry tamarind powder/ dry mango powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

For Filling –

1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds

2 tsp Coriander seeds

1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds

1 tbsp Urad dal

1 tbsp Channa dal

1/4 cup Peanuts

Handful of curry leaves

3-4 red chillies, broken

1 tbsp grated dry coconut/kobri

This how we will proceed…

Slit open the bitter gourds. Remove the seeds. Brush it with turmeric and salt. Keep it aside for an hour. This will make the bitter gourd leave water. Squeeze gentle and remove the water.

For masala – Roast jeera, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, urad dal, channa dal, peanuts, curry leaves, red chillies and finally the grated dry coconut. Cool it.

Once cooled, grind it to smooth powder.To the powder, add salt, tamarind powder and turmeric powder. Turmeric powder shown in the pic is made at home from our garden-grown turmeric!

Mix it well. Now, take the halves of the bitter gourds and fill in the masala liberally. Close the bitter gourds and tie each pair with thread.

In a pan, heat oil and place the bittergourd beside each other. Shallow fry the gourds till they turn brown on low flame. If there is very little masala left add it to the dish. If there is lots, you can store them( in airtight container) for as long as you want and use it for other dishes.

Once the gourds are cooked. Enjoy them with hot rice! I love to eat them as is!