We are visiting my mother-in-law. Sitting on the large top floor balcony, we are enjoying cups of hot chai in the early morning cool. The house used to be a single-level home but when my mother-in-law retired, Mummy built a complete top floor with its own entrance where she lives. The first floor apartment is rented out to a family and our son is busy downstairs playing with their kids.
The vegetable vendor is passing by on the street alongside the house. He walks a few steps yelling “Karela, gobi, allu, bhindi, etc.,” to entice the housewives to purchase the vegetables. Mummy calls to the vendor, he enters the premises, right under the balcony, so she can spot-check all the veggies on the cart.
Finally, the vegetables are selected and a round of bargaining ensues until both of them are satisfied. Then, to our amusement, my mother-in-law lowers a basket attached to a rope down to the vendor. He puts the vegetables in, she draws it up and sends the money down for payment. We are awed by her ingenuity!
“See” she says, “now I can make your favorite karela.” She hands them to me, so I can go scrub and wash them. We both sit outside and prep the karela to cook later.
The Indian variety is smaller, more pointed and ridged than the Chinese variety. For this recipe, I prefer the Indian variety.
A dish you won't be able to refuse—bitter gourd mixed with onions, tomatoes, and spices!
- 12 small karela (choose the smaller, thinner ones)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp red chili powder (or to taste)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp tumeric (optional)
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- 2 medium onions (diced)
- ¼ cup cooking oil
To Prepare Karela
Scrub the karela with a brush. Pat dry, then scrape and save the top ridged skin (chilka) in a utensil.
When the skin has been nicely scraped off, salt the karela and the skins separately (about 1 teaspoon of salt, each) and set aside for at least one hour. The longer it brines, the less bitter it will taste.
After an hour, squeeze as much of the juice out of both the karela and the skins.
Save the juice, dilute with water and drink it. It is a good blood purifier and help slower blood sugar–but it tastes awfully bitter!!
To Cook
Slit the brined karela through the middle on one side and remove any hard seeds.
Dice the onions, but not too finely.
Heat oil in a large wok or heavy bottomed pan. Add in the karela carefully to avoid spluttering. It might be a good idea to use a splatter guard. Sauté until nicely dark brown all over. You will have to stir them from time to time. This should take about 10 mins.
Set aside the sautéed karela on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
In the remaining oil in the pan (add a little more if you have to), add the karela skins and sauté till nicely browned.
Add the chopped onions and stir-fry for another 5-8 minutes.
Now mix in the fried karela and masalas and let them cook together for another 2-3 minutes. Taste for salt, although I doubt you will need to add any—unless you are like me!! Stir a few more times, and you are done.
Spoon into a dish, and it is ready to be served.
Best eaten with rotis or as a side dish with rice and dal.
Sabzi vendor photo credit: Gert-Jan Stads / International Food Policy Research Institute
