Stuffed Bitter Gourd

Ingredients:

• 4 bitter melon (karela)
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of oil

For the Filling:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1/8 teaspoon asafetida (hing)
• 2 tablespoons gram flour (besan)
• 2 tablespoons coriander powder (dhania)
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds powder (saunf)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder adjust to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoon mango powder (amchoor)
• 2 tsps  Sugar

Preparing the Filling:

1. Heat 2 tsps of oil in a saucepan.Add the cumin seeds and asafetida to the oil. After the cumin seeds crack, add the karela scrapings and stir fry for about 2 minutes.
2. Add gram flour (besan) and stir-fry for another minute.
3. Add coriander powder, fennel powder, turmeric, chili powder,mango powder,Sugar. Sauté for a minute and then turn off the heat.
4. Stuff the split karelas with this spice mixture (if there is more spice mix remaining,save it to use later). Note :Tie the karelas with a thread so that the stuffing does not come out while cooking.

Method:

1. Wash karelas thoroughly and using a knife, scrape the skin. Set the scrapes aside.Make a slit in the karelas length wise and remove the seeds.Add karelas and the skin scrapings to a bowl. Mix and sprinkle with salt and lemon juice. Let it marinate for at least an hour.Squeeze the karelas to remove all the marinade. Wash karelas twice with hot water and then squeeze out all the water.Separate the scrapings from the whole karelas.
2.  Add 2 tablespoons of oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the stuffed karelas to the pan and sprinkle with little salt. Cover the pan and let it cook for about 2 minutes.
3.  Sprinkle some water and add the remaining spice mixture over the karelas. Cover the pan and let it cook until karelas are well coated with the mixture.(Make sure to gently turn them over in between)

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