Indian Bitter Gourd known as Karela in Hindi, is among the most bitter culinary vegetables, and is a bit of an acquired taste. It is one of my favorite vegetables, because when cooked with spices and onions, the result is a mouthwatering combination of bitter, sweet, sour and spicy flavors. I’m grateful to my parents for not tolerating fussy eating at the dinner table, and insisting that we ate whatever was prepared and served at home. If not for that, I would never have acquired a taste for this, and several other unusual vegetables that have amazing health benefits. Talking about the health benefits of Indian Bitter Gourd, there are several and I’ve heard that Indian Bitter Gourds also have anti-diabetic properties. If you’re curious, I recommend you do a web search to find out more. In the United State, you can buy Bitter Gourd all year round at Indian or other ethic grocery stores. When buying this vegetable, look for young gourds, that feel firm when pressed and don’t have any blemishes or cuts on the surface. If it feels soft or hollow, it’s likely overripe is not be suitable for cooking. You can also find it in the frozen section of an ethnic grocery store. When making this dish, the Bitter Gourds are treated to reduce the bitterness before cooking. They’re either marinated in salt and put aside for a while, or can be boiled in salted water for about 10 minutes. Any excessive leftover bitterness after cooking can be balanced with some milk. This recipe calls for peeling the Bitter Gourds before cooking, but you can also choose to keep the skins on. I suggest try it both ways and see which one you prefer.
Ingredients
1 lb Bitter Gourd (Karela)
1 Onion (medium size, sliced)
1 tsp Salt (adjust to taste)
1 tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Dried Mango Powder
½ tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder (optional)
Instructions
Preparation: Peel the Bitter Gourd; the easiest way to peel them is to scrape the skin using a paring knife. Wash the gourds to remove any residual pieces of skin. Cut into think round discs, about ¼-1/2 centimeter. Remove and discard any large seeds. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt on the cut up pieces and using your hand rub it onto all the pieces. Keep aside for at least 60 minutes. Rinse well to wash off the salt, and squeeze the discs, a fistful at a time, to remove all the water. At this point I like to taste one of the raw pieces to gauge the level of saltiness; this will be important to determine the amount of Salt that needs to be added while cooking. Just a small bite to taste it, and you don’t need to chew or swallow it. Usually the salt added at this stage is adequate.
Heat about 2-3 tbsp of oil in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat and add the bitter gourd.
Fry the Bitter Gourd, occasionally stirring until the Bitter Gourd turn brown; about 8-10 minutes.
Add the sliced onions to the pan and sprinkle a little salt on them. Toss and continue cooking until the onions soften and turn translucent; about 6-8 minutes.
Add Coriander Powder and Dried Mango Powder, and mix into the onions and Bitter Gourd.
Cook covered for another 3 minutes, turn off the heat and Bitter Gourds are ready!
Notes
Enjoy them plain (that’s the way I like them), with Indian flatbread (roti), a tortilla, or make a sandwich with sliced bread.
Recipe by PURE CURRY at https://www.purecurry.com/bitter-gourd-karela/