Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- Bitter gourd/ Karela – 3, cut into 2½” cylinders
- Curd – 4 tablespoons
- Salt – 1 teaspoon
- Recheado Masala – 4 tablespoons
- Onions – 3-4, chopped fine
- Tomato Puree – 3 tablespoons (you can also use tomato sauce)
- Tomato – 1 chopped fine
- Cooked and chopped Prawns – ½ cup (you can also use dry prawns)
- Roasted Sesame seeds – 2 tablespoons
- Jaggery/ sugar – 1 heaping teaspoon
- Kashmiri Chilli powder – 1 teaspoon
- Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Water – about 4 cups
- Oil – 3 tablespoons
Method:
- Wash and trim the tops and tails of the bitter gourd. Using a potato peeler scrape the bumpy edges off the bitter gourd (to enable better cooking), hollow them out and cut each bitter gourd into segments about 3″ in length.
- In a large bowl, mix the bitter gourd, curd and one teaspoon of salt. Set aside for an hour or more. This helps reduce the bitterness.
- For the stuffing, in a separate bowl mix Recheado Masala, Onions, Tomato Puree, Tomato, Prawns, Roasted Sesame seeds, Jaggery/ sugar, Kashmiri Chilli powder, Turmeric powder, Salt to taste. Taste it and adjust sweet, spice and salt. Do not use any water in the stuffing.
- Wash and dry the bitter gourds well so you have no curd left on them. Stuff them with prepared filling.
- To a shallow pan with a well fitted lid, add the stuffed bitter gourds and gently (so as not to mess the stuffing in the bitter gourds) pour in 2 cups of water. Cover and cook, adding water if it dries up, until the bitter gourds are well done and soft. You should be left with no water in the pan.
- Next add 3 tablespoons of oil and fry on medium heat until the bitter gourds turn a light brown, Using tongs rotate the bitter gourds every minute or so.
- Delicious with rice and dal.
Note:
For a vegetarian varient substitute the prawns with ½ cup of cooked Sweet Corn kernels.