Bitter Gourd Side Dish Recipes

BITTER GOURD CURRY-SABZI

Steps:

• Cut bitter gourd into round shapes. Remove the seeds. You can use the seeds if they are tender.
• Take tamarind extract and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a kadai or small pressure cooker, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, red chillies and curry leaves. When mustard splutters, add chopped onion and sauté until they turn transparent.
• Then add tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and sauté until tomatoes become a little soft.
• Add bitter gourd pieces and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add salt and diluted tamarind extract.
• Close the cooker and pressure cook for 1 whistle. If you are making the curry in a kadai, cook covered stirring in between until the vegetable is soft. It will take a longer time than pressure cooker.
• Once the pressure subsides, open the cooker, mix the contents well and simmer for 5 minutes. If there is water, cook until the water evaporates. I added a tsp of my vegetable curry powder to give more flavor to the curry. Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve as an accompaniment for rice or chapati. Enjoy preparing this easy and healthy bitter gourd sabzi.

BITTER GOURD CHUTNEY (KARATHE KISMURI)

Steps:

• Cut the bitter gourd into small squares, add salt to it and keep aside for 30mins (Even the frozen bitter gourd can be used). Squeeze the water to remove bitterness. Add some water and squeeze the pieces again. (By doing this, we are removing the bitterness, along with it we are discarding some of the medicinal values of bitter gourd. So if you can tolerate the bitter taste, do not squeeze the water from the vegetable).
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the bitter gourd pieces till they become crispy.
• In a bowl, mix onion pieces, chili powder, tamarind, coconut and salt. (mix well with hands).
• Just before serving, mix fried bitter gourd (do not mix before, because the bitter gourd should be crispy to get the best taste of kismuri).

BITTER GOURD SIDE DISH

Steps:

• Scrape the bitter gourds then cut into small pieces. , Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. , When they begin to splutter, add the onions and green chilli and fry till brown. , Add the ginger paste and saute for a few minutes. , Mix in the bitter gourd, coconut, turmeric and salt and mix well. , Add 1 cup of water and cook on low heat till the bitter gourd is cooked and all the water dries up. , Serve hot. , Recipe Courtesy: Anglo-Indian Recipes ,

BABY BITTER GOURD FRY

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 tsp of oil and fry coriander seeds, bengal gram (channa dal in Hindi and kadalai paruppu in Tamil) and red chillies on medium heat until dal turns golden brown. After it cools, powder it and keep it aside. We will call this curry powder.
• Wash and cut baby bitter gourd into half. Scoop out the seeds and discard it.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. When mustard seeds splutter, add finely chopped onion and fry until onion turns transparent.
• Then add bitter gourd, turmeric powder and cook covered on low heat.
• After few minutes of cooking, add sambar powder and salt needed. Sprinkle water and cook covered.
• When it is half cooked, add 2 tbsp of the curry powder (if you have excess curry powder, store it and use it for aloo, brinjal, taro root or any vegetable curry ) and cook covered on medium heat, stirring in between until the bitter gourd is tender.
• Serve hot with rice or chapati.
• Note - You can prepare this fry with just chilli powder or sambar powder. Curry powder is added to make it more delicious.
• Tips to remove bitterness from bitter gourd - Actually baby bitter gourd will not be very bitter as the regular ones. But if you still want to remove the bitterness, soak it in curd (just enough to cover the bitter gourd) mixed with salt and turmeric powder for an hour. Then squeeze out all the curd nicely from the bitter gourd and use it for the curry. You can follow the same tips for the regular bitter gourd also. Just as honey is sweet, bitter gourd will be bitter, so I suggest that you accept the taste. By removing the bitterness, you also remove the good things the vegetable has to offer.

PAARIKYAAI POOLIKOOTAKARI (BITTER GOURD SIDE DISH)

Steps:

• Head oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add mustard seeds and urad dal.
• When the mustard starts to sputter, add the sliced gourd, turmeric powder and salt and saute on a low flame for about 10 minutes.
• Add the water that the tamarind was soaked in, sambar powder (or curry powder) and jaggery.
• Cover and cook on a low flame for about 10 minutes; then check if the karela has been cooked; if not, add an additional 1/4 cup water, cover and cook until all the water has been absorbed.
• Remove from flame and serve hot with rice and sambar, or chappatis.