I Love Bitter Gourd

I love bitter gourd. You got me right. It’s the name of a new recipe that I am sharing with you all. This recipe was discovered by my dear elder sister. An excellent cook, she prepares food with love and heart. When she made this recipe for the first time, no doubt we all fell in love with it. Hence the name – I love Bitter Gourd. Made with minimum ingredients, you all will love it too.

Ingredients

Four Medium Bitter Gourds (Karela In Hindi)

1 Lemon

1 Tsp Turmeric

2 Tsp Chilly Powder (Not spicy, use Kashmiri)

2 Tsp Chaat Masala

1 1/2 Tsp Garam Masala

Salt as per requirement

2 Tbsp Semolina (Take as needed)

Oil for shallow fry

Method

Scrape the hard skin of the bitter gourds. Wash and slit them in the centre. Remove the seeds and the bulky part from the inside.

Now, cut them into thin slices. Arrange two bitter gourds one inside the other so that cutting time is saved. Now squeeze out the lemon juice on the slices evenly. Add all the spices given above namely, turmeric, chilly powder, garam masala, chaat masala, and salt. You can reduce or increase the quantity of these spices as per your taste. Mix well. Sprinkle semolina over the slices so as to cover all of them. Do not add more semolina, as it might become soggy after shallow frying. Also, more taste of semolina envelops the actual taste of the recipe. Keep aside for about 4 to 5 hours so that the slices get marinated very well.

Now, heat some oil in a nonstick pan.

Add the slices in batches if the pan is medium size. Make sure you spread out the slices in one layer. Do not place one above the other. Keep the flame between low and medium. Do not cover the pan. Let the colour of the slices turn brown from below. Check by lifting the slices up. Once brown, turn them. Now wait for the other side to turn brown. Touch them with a spoon and make sure they are crisp. Leave them on the pan till they turn crisp.

Once crisp, remove them in a glass or steel container. Enjoy with roti-sabzi or dal-rice. They stay good till the next day if refrigerated. Before eating on the next day, heat them once again on a pan or tawa. Do not microwave them, as they may turn softer.

Please don’t get misguided by the colour of the bitter gourd slices after cooking. Even if they turn slightly dark as seen in the picture above, they taste yummy. Trust me, you will fall in love with bitter gourds after eating them. Thank my sister when you become a fan of not-so-loved bitter gourds. Definitely, you will say after eating these crisp slices, I love bitter gourd.

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https://blogbyhema.com/2021/06/11/some-of-my-favourite-recipes/