To many one of the most unappealing of vegetables, yet to many a treasure trove of nutrients, Karela or bitter gourd bring equally vehement reactions from people. Bitter to the extent that idioms have been made regarding bitterness using this vegetable, most people especially children are found to making faces at the very mention of this vegetable. Yet no one can deny the goodness that the consumption of this vegetable can give, whether that is in blood sugar control, as a laxative, for various conditions of rheumatism and gout. But our mothers seem to have the uncanny ability to convert this bitterest of vegetables into something tasty. Stuffing the vegetable is one such way.
Karela as a vegetable is low on calories and attributes only about 17 calories in a 100 gm serving. Phyto nutrients polypeptide p is found to be high in bitter gourd helps in blood sugar control. This also helps is glucose uptake from blood through a compound it forms called charantin. They are also a good source of folates and vitamins. Upto 140 mg of vitamin C is available in a 100 gm serving. Vitamin A and flavinoids are also rich in karela and help in the neutralization of free radicals, thus acting as an anti oxidant agent. The natural movement of the alimentary canal called peristalsis, by which food moves down the tract is aided by karela and hence has a positive effect on digestion and relieving constipation. Minerals like zinc, magnesium, iron and manganese are also found in fair quantity in this vegetable, along with the B group of Vitamins like B3, B5 and B6. Some phyto nutrients derived from bitter gourd have also been shown to have a positive effect in controlling HIV infection. However this has not been substantiated in human clinical trials as is the case with its anti-carcinogenic qualities. It is also a very high source of dietary fiber and can contribute towards the same in a meal. All in all Karela is thus a very nutritious vegetable albeit a bit difficult to palate.
The challenge while cooking a dish with such a vegetable is to factor in the natural bitterness of the vegetable and neutralize it or use it to accentuate the other flavors that are being used in the dish. The dish that we are cooking will be high on nutrition as the filling is also made from the vegetable itself. Alternately the stuffing can be made from meat or sea food, or combining potatoes coconut and mustard. To make a serving for about 2 people we will need:
Karela (Bitter gourd)-600 grams
Onions 2 large
Green chilly 3-4
Ginger-garlic paste 1 tablespoon
Dhania (Coriander) powder -2 tablespoons
Haldi (Turmeric) powder- 1 teaspoon
Amchur (Dry mango) powder – 2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Cooking Oil
In preparation of the dish, we will first take the onion and chop part of it to make about ¾ cup and the remaining we will slice to make up about ½ cup and set aside. The green chillie si also chopped into small pieces. We then take the karela, wash them thoroughly and scrape them, setting aside the scraping for later use. Now the karela is carefully slit so as to remove the seeds, but left holding on so that it can close and be one once the stuffing is made. This is now immersed in a brine solution made of salt and water and left for about 30 minutes. The scrapings in the meanwhile are already sprinkled with salt and shaken in a covered container to ensure that it is evenly mixed and left to stand for some time. After about 30 minutes this is again thoroughly washed taking acre to remove any extra salt and set aside. We are now ready to make the filling.
In a pan, heat cooking oil over a low flame and fry chopped onions and green chilli for about 2-3 minutes. Now add ginger garlic paste and sauté, and then add about half of the scrapings that have been set aside and combine. This is left to cook for 4-5 minutes. Now add half of the dhania powder, amchur powder and haldi powder mix evenly and cook for about 10 minutes till it becomes evenly mixed and dry, sticking together. This constitutes our filling.
Stuff the karela with this filling and then deep fry in oil till the green karela starts turning a dark brown. Now in a pan again heat oil and sauté the sliced onions till they brown. Now add the remaining scrapings to which the rest of the masalas are added and mixed well. Add a little water to help combine and then add the stuffed karelas. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes and let it become thick gravy almost dry. Transfer to a serving vessel and serve with rice.
My mother’s secret recipe of love and smiles is needed extra in this dish to make it taste yummier inspite of all the bitterness. So go ahead and sprinkle and extra large portion of smiles and cook it with that much more love to make it yum. Bon appetite.
