Stuffed Bitter Gourd- Karela Sabzi a la Asha
May 07, 2008
In Bombay recently I visited an old friend where I was lucky enough to catch Asha cooking lunch.
It is a pleasure to watch her cook, very calm and collected and
precise. Without making a mess in a four foot area for preparation and
cooking ,she produced three dishes in precisely half an hour. They
were all simple recipes, without chilli and just delicious with red
rice and a glass of buttermilk.
Ingredients:
6 small karelas/ bitter gourd
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp amchur / raw mango powder
1 tsp jeera powder/ cumin
1 tsp dhania powder/ coriander
1/4 tsp haldi / turmeric
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Water
Wash the karela well and grate the peel down. Add the salt, mango
powder/amchur, the cumin and coriander powder and haldi / turmeric and
mix with the grated peel. Slit each karela down the side and scoop out
the flesh and seeds. Mix with the grated peels and spices.Stuff each
karela with the mix.
Heat a 3 litre pressure cooker and add the oil.When hot fry the
karela in the oil for a few minutes. Add one and a half cups water and
shut the pressure cooker putting on the weight.Let it cook for three
whistles then turn fire to low and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Take
the cooker off the fire and check if cooked/. If there is too much
water cook until the water evaporates.