Bharwan Karela/ Stuffed Bitter Gourd: Garam Masala Tuesdays
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 kg or 2 lbs medium size bitter gourd/karela
  • salt
  • 16 pearl onions ( I had only 4-5 so I used only that)
  • 1¾ cups onions, pounded to a coarse paste
  • 1 tsp amchoor or mango powder
  • ½ tsp black pepper powder
  • ½ tsp red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
Instructions
  1. Wash the karela. Peel it, reserving the scrapings in a bowl.
  2. Slit each karela on one side. Remove the seeds from the inside. Rub it with salt and add some salt to the scrapings. Keep aside for at least 30 minutes, preferably in the sun.
  3. Squeeze the bitter gourd and scrapings separately. I used my nut milk bag to squeeze the juice out. I reserve the liquid to gulp it like a shot. Its salty but the juice is where a lot of the nutrients lie and I do not want to lose out on them.
  4. Wash and dry the bitter gourd. Dry it with a napkin.
  5. Mix the coarsely pounded onions with the mango powder, black pepper powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder.
  6. Keep ¼ th of the filling aside. Divide the rest of the filling equally and stuff the slit karelas. Seal the karelas with a string so that the filling does not come out.
  7. Heat oil in a wok/kadhai. Shallow fry the stuffed gourd over medium heat turning constantly until cooked. Remove from pan and keep aside.
  8. In the same pan shallow fry the remaining filling, scraping and pearl onions for a few minutes. Return the stuffed cooked gourd to the pan and stir for 2 minutes.
  9. Serve warm with flat bread.
Recipe by The Novice Housewife at https://novicehousewife.com/2016/06/29/bharwan-karela-stuffed-bitter-gourd-garam-masala-tuesdays/