Thursday, September 23, 2010

Bitter Gourd Stir Fry

Bitter gourd (karela in Hindi) may not be a favorite of many. I wasn't a fan either, until I had it this way (courtesy my neighbour, Usha aunty). The secret lies in cooking it, covered, on simmer, for as long as needed to soften the pieces. It doesn't require any masala powders and because of this, you can truly appreciate the taste of the vegetable. This is another easy-to-cook recipe that's great to have in your collection!


Serves 4
4 medium-sized bitter gourds (cleaned, cut in halves, the inner pulpy part scored out, and then cut into thin semi-circles-the thinner, the better!)
2-3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 green chillies, slit into 2
Salt-To taste

In a pan, heat the oil and throw in the mustard seeds.
When they sizzle, put in the curry leaves.
When they turn a dark green, add all the other ingredients together and combine well.
Cover with a lid and simmer for as long as necessary to soften the pieces.
Keep stirring in between to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add more water or oil if necessary.


TIPS:
It would be better if you cooked this in a nonstick pan.

2 comments:

gita said...

it goes well with sambhar n hot rice. try it

Karishma said...

Thanks for the recommendation, gita aunty :-) glad u liked it!

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