Bharwan Karele

Bharwan Karele

Bitter gourd with spicy stuffing

 Serves 4

Time 30 mins

Ingredients

 8 medium Karele or Bitter gourd

6 medium  Onions

3 tbsp  Mustard oil

1 tsp Hing/Asafetida

For spice stuffing

Red chili powder 2 tsp

Garam masala 2 tsp

Dry coriander powder 4 tsp

Amchoor 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Recipe

• Scrape off the skin of the karelas with a peeler. Then rub salt on them and keep aside for 30 mins or more if you have time. This removes the bitterness. You can keep them in the morning and cook them for lunch or dinner.
• Meanwhile, slice the onions.
• In a bowl, mix all the spices for the stuffing.
• Wash the gourds and squeeze out all the water.
• Make an incision or a cut lengthwise on the karelas. Scrape out a few seeds if you want with a spoon.
• Take the spice mix with the back of a knife and put it inside the karelas. Now tie the karela with a thread tightly in the middle so that the spices don’t come out when we pan fry them. Do same for all karelas and keep aside.
• In a frying pan or skillet, heat the mustard oil till it reaches the smoking point.
• Then reduce heat and add hing to the oil.
• Now add all the karelas slowly and let the sit nicely in the skillet without overlapping.
• In another pan, add ½ tbsp of oil and sauté the onions till light golden.
• After 6-7 mins gently overturn the karelas to cook the other side too.
• Cook again for 6-7 mins or till all the karelas become brown or dark in colour.
• Now all the sauted onions to the karelas. Stir well.
• Sprinkle some water on it, and then put a lid. The steam will help soften the karela.
• Let it cook for 6-7 mins and turn off the heat.
• Serve hot with chapattis and raita.