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Wednesday, March 04, 2009

By Request - Bitter Gourd Vattichularthiathu - AKA Karela


(photo by 3Quarks Daily article)

Okay, Malayalam is a really difficult language but the food is phenomenal.
Bitter Gourd is also known as Karela. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is held to have blood sugar regulating properties.

1/2 kg bitter gourd
1 tsp chili powder (cayenne)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup onion, thin long slices
Salt - to taste
1/2 cup oil

1. Slit open the bitter gourd, remove the seeds and cut into thin round slices.
2. Mix it with chili powder, turmeric and salt.
3. Par cook the bitter gourd slices in 1/2 cup briskly boiling water.
4. Fry the onion pieces in hot oil until crisp and golden brown in colour. Lift out and drain.
5. Add a little more oil if required and fry the bitter gourd. When crisp, lift it out and drain.
6. Mix the onion and bitter gourd together and serve.

Enjoy!

3 comments:

Elatia Harris said...

Thanks! This looks simple enough, and you would find out if you liked the flavor of karela without worrying about too much else going on.

Karen Food aka Bistro Arkadash said...

Another nice way is to slice potatoes on the mandoline and fry with the karela. The starch in the potatoes brings out a sweetness in the dish as well.

Kanadjin said...

Where can you buy bitter gourd in winnipeg?