Bitter Gourd Curry

My family and I were first introduced to bitter gourd in Qatar, by our housekeeper who stir-fried it with garlic, onion, chillies, tomatoes and egg and tuna, inspired by the Filipino family she used to work for. Our initial thought was "how bitter!!" but after a few mouthfuls we became addicted and had it once a week! I'm always keen to try new fruit and vegetables, especially those that are readily available where we live and in Qatar we were spoilt for choice with Asian vegetables. One thing I miss most about living in a small village in France is the lack of Asian vegetables and chillies. This year there was so much rain in the spring that I didn't plant any chillies and so had to rely on other sources. You can imagine how happy I was when I saw such a beautiful and diverse selection in the nearest town!

Bitter gourd on the other hand I sourced in Grand Frais supermarket, over an hour's drive from my house. It was a bitter sweet trip because a wrong turn on the way to Avignon took me through really narrow streets in Mazan, where I couldn't find anywhere to do a u-turn. When I finally did, let's just say my car had a fight with a wall! 😢 At least no-one was hurt! As we have a vegetarian staying with us for a few months who doesn't eat fish, I rose to the challenge of finding a vegetarian recipe for the bitter gourd. It was the first time Erica had tried bitter gourd. She enjoyed the curry so much she had seconds! Do try the recipe and let us know what you think.

Serves: 4 Preparation time including soaking: 50 mins. Cooking time: 30 mins.

Ingredients: 2 cups of bitter gourd 2 teaspoons of coconut sugar (or equivalent) A chunk of tamarind (about 10 x 10cm) Salt to taste 1/2 tsp. of turmeric

For the Masala paste: 2 cups of grated coconut 4 tsp. of black gram urad dal 2 tsp. of Bengal gram chana dal (I used tinned chickpeas) 1/2 tsp. of fenugreek seeds 1 tsp. of cumin seeds 3-4 tsp. of sesame seeds (black & white) 4-8 red chillies (as per your spice tolerance) 2 pinches of *asafoetida 8 curry leaves

For Tempering: 2-3 tbsp. of **coconut oil 2 tsp. of black mustard seeds A pinch of *asafoetida 4-6 curry leaves

Instructions:

1. Wash the bitter gourd, cut lengthwise and scoop out all the seeds with a large spoon. Chop it in to small pieces.

2. In a large glass bowl add 1 teaspoon of both salt and turmeric powder to the bitter gourd and mix well. Set aside for 30 to 40 minutes. Discard the liquid that is produced. Sprinkle the bitter gourd with a little more water, mix and squeeze the bitter gourd with your hand. This process helps to reduce the bitterness of bitter gourd. 3. Soak the tamarind in a little warm water. 4. In a pan heat a little coconut oil and add the turmeric and bitter gourd. Saute it for 4-5 mins. This step enhances the flavours from the vegetable. 5. Add water, salt, tamarind and the sugar. Cover the pan with a lid and cook. 6. Meanwhile, to prepare the masala add a little coconut oil to a small pan. Add all the masala ingredients except the coconut and sesame. Roast the ingredients on a medium low heat until the red chillies becomes crisp and the dal turns golden in colour. Add the coconut to the masala and saute it for 1 minute. Transfer all the ingredients to a blender.

7. Next, dry roast the sesame seeds in the same pan until they start to turn golden. Add them to the blender. Once the masala has cooled a bit add a little water and make a very smooth paste. 8. Add the paste to the cooked bitter gourd and mix well. Cook over a medium flame until the gravy starts boiling. Reduce the flame to simmering point, **add a tablespoon of raw coconut oil and allow it to boil for another 8-10 mins. Stir in between. Let the liquid thicken.

Season with the mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves and serve the bitter gourd hot (or warm) with plain rice or roti.

Season with the mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves. Serve the bitter gourd hot (or warm) with plain rice or roti.

The bitter gourd will keep in the fridge for up to a week, however I don't honestly know how it can't be eaten in one meal as it is simply delicious!

Notes: *I didn't use asafoedita and was able to easily digest the meal with no ill effects, so if you can't find it where you live, just skip that step. ** According to the original recipe that I followed, the addition of coconut oil at the point where the liquid is boiling takes the dish to another level, however I am mindful of the amount of oil I consume and just skipped this step.

Source: http://www.smithakalluraya.com/bitter-gourd-karela-curry-hagalakayi-gojju-menaskai-recipe/

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