You must be wondering how this can even be possible 😂! But trust me…. the sweet and tangy taste will truly deter you away from the bitterness of the bitter gourd (karela) 😉.

Honestly, this was an “accidental” dish. I started off trying to make something different with bitter gourd and ended up getting an unexpected new dish altogether. I passed the recipe over to my mum to try it out and she loved it! Since I got her seal of approval, here is the recipe and I do hope that you will try it out as well.

Ingredients

• Karela – 2 medium, cut into rings and remove seeds
• Onion – 1 medium, chopped
• Garlic – 1, chopped
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
• Fenugreek powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Kashmiri chilli powder – 2 tsp
• Tamarind – lime size and soak in 1/4 cup water
• Jaggery – 1 to 2 tsp
• Water – 1/4 cup (optional)
• Salt
• Oil
• Coriander leaves – for garnishing (optional)

Method

• Cut the karela into rings and rub with salt and keep it aside for half an hour.
• Heat little oil in a wok and when hot, shallow fry the bitter gourd rings (after squeezing out the excess water).
• Once brown, remove from wok and keep them aside.
• In the same wok, add a little bit more oil if required and add the mustard seeds and let it splutter.
• Now add the cumin seeds and stir slightly and add the onions and fry till translucent.
• Add the crushed garlic and saute for couple of mins.
• Add the tomatoes and fry till pulpy. Half way add the turmeric powder, kashmiri chilli powder and  fenugreek powder.
• Now add the tamarind pulp and water and let it come to a boil. If you prefer a drier version, you may omit adding water.
• Finally add the fried bitter gourd rings and jaggery and stir well till the jaggery melts.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see your pics on Instagram and do tag @bakezbyshobz and hashtag it #bakezbyshobz

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