Hello friends! My today's post is one which I am really not fond of and well I can say I never tasted it nor do I like it but Hubby dear and daughter dear wanted me to make this. I love just one part of this bitter dish which I would explain as I show you.. Bitter gourd is like its name bitter karela and I can't tell you the exact taste of the vegetable I made as I didn't taste it but going by the reactions and comments it did come out well. I have made three times this same dish but only on one occasion did the bitterness reduce a lot. So here goes the dish.
Ingredients:
- 3 bitter gourds/karela
- 1 tomato
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1tsp cumin seeds
- 1tbsp oil
- 2 green chillies
- salt to taste
- 1tsp turmeric powder
- 1tsp red chilli powder
- 1tsp amchur powder
- 1tsp coriander powder
- a pinch of asafoetida/hing
- coriander leaves to garnish
Method:
Scrape off the rough skin of karela. Do not peel it just scrape it off as rough pieces. Do not discard this. Chop it finely and rub salt and keep it aside. Cut the karela in small roundels and wash and rub salt and keep it for an hour or so. Keep the scrapped skin and karela pieces separate. Here is the tip which would remove the bitterness. First wash the scrapped pieces nicely in lot of water after rubbing salt and waiting time of an hour. Keep that separate and same way wash in loads of water and squeeze out the water from roundels too. This way most bitterness would surely go. This I am saying based on answers from hubby and daughter that they didn't find the bitterness in the dish.
Next in the pan, heat oil and add jeera. Once it splutters add hing and chopped green chillies. Add chopped onions and saute it. Add ginger garlic paste and saute more. Now add chopped tomatoes and karela roundels. Add little water and salt to taste. Cover and let it cook till tomato and karela is done. Open the lid and add the remaining masalas and coriander leaves and mix nicely. Your dish is done.
But wait, the scrapped skin is there still. So what do you do with it? This is my secret and this the only part of karela I do like. You make poori or roti out of that skin and here is how..
Ingredients for poori:
- 1 cup wheat flour
- scrapped karela pieces
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
Method:
Wash the karela pieces nicely so bitterness goes away. In a bowl take flour and add all the things mentioned for poori. Mix and make a poori dough. Roll out poori and fry in the oil. Or make roti and cook on tawa. Its done. The karela skin poori tastes very good and this I enjoy a lot as it tastes just like masala poori. Try it and you won't regret.
Hope you like this and would try it out.
