Karela, or bitter gourd, can usually be found at your local asian supermarket and is a must try! This recipe, passed down to me from my mum brings out the flavours of the karela with some added spice.
Ingredients
20 pieces of small karela
salt
natural sewing thread
sunflower/rapeseed/vegetable oil
For the Spice Mix
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp amchoor powder/dried mango powder
Method
– Chop the tops and tails off the karela, and peel the skin. Then, with a small knife, cut open the stomach of the karela. Be careful not to cut all the way through.
– Coat the outside and stomach of each karela with salt. Let them sit for an hour.
– Meanwhile, add all the spices for the spice mix to a bowl and mix well.
– After an hour, rinse the salt off of each karela.
– Stuff each karela with the spice mix. Then, use the sewing thread to wrap around the karela so that the spice mix does not fall out.
– Add 3-4 tbsp of oil to a hot pan. Then, add the karela to the pan and lower the heat to medium once they start sizzling. Cook for 10-15 minutes, then turn them over and repeat the process for up to 45 minutes.
– Once cooked, let them cool slightly until it’s easy to remove the thread.
I love to serve this with some piping hot Chapatis and Tarka Dhal.
You can also store them in an air-tight container, in the fridge, for up to a week.