Spicy Stuffed Bitter Gourd / Bharwan Karela

Vegetables that we use in our home falls under three categories from my perspective - the ones which I absolutely love, the ones which I utterly abhor and which coincidentally happen to be my husband's favorite ones and the ones I don't care about but still can manage to eat without any complaints if only cooked in certain ways. The root vegetables fall in the former category to my husband's dismay who keeps commenting that I must have been a bunny in my previous birth. Now the bitter gourd falls under the third category and I am not a fan of it obviously because of it's bitterness. However the irony is that I love podi koora and these yummy crisps made with bitter gourd, which do not contain any sweeteners to mask it's bitterness. Today's recipe is one based on bitter gourd too and loved absolutely by my husband who happens to be a fan of the vegetable. I have never tasted it though I prepare it but going by his input, this is a yummy one for bitter gourd lovers.

Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
2 bitter gourds
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
A pinch of asafoetida powder
2 tbsp. chickpea flour / besan
2 tsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. amchur powder / dry mango powder
1/2 tsp. red chili powder
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt to taste

 Method:
* Wash and scrape the ridges of bitter gourd skin and keep the scrapings aside. Make a slit in the bitter gourds lengthwise, keeping the ends intact. Scoop out the seeds and the pith carefully without opening the gourds. Add scrapes and gourds to a bowl and sprinkle salt over them. Keep them aside for at least 30 minutes.
* Wash the gourds and scrapes once again and squeeze out all the water. 
* Heat a tbsp. oil in a small pan and add the chopped onion. Fry until it turns golden brown.
* In the mean time, prepare the stuffing for the gourds. Heat a tbsp. of oil in another small pan and add cumin seeds. When the seeds sizzle and turn a shade darker, add asafoetida and the bitter gourd scrapings. Fry for about 5 minutes on low flame. Then add chick pea flour and fry for a couple of minutes. Then add coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, amchur powder, chili powder and turmeric powder to the pan and fry for another minute. Turn off the stove and let the stuffing cool a bit.
* Stuff the gourds with the above stuffing and tie them tightly with thread so that gourds do not open up while cooking. Keep the remaining stuffing aside.
* Heat a tbsp. oil in a pan and add the stuffed gourds. Cook on low flame, until the gourds are cooked well and turn brown all around.
* Add the remaining stuffing, fried onions and salt to the cooked gourd pan and stir to combine.
* Serve warm with hot steamed rice.



This goes to Blogging marathon #59 under the theme 'Stuffed Dishes'. Check the link to see what other marathoners are cooking.

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Nepali Dal Bhat

For the second day of BM#56, I am bringing a comfort combo dish from Nepal to the table. Dal, a simple, flavorful lentil dish along with bhat, the cooked rice forms the traditional, everyday meal of Nepal besides being it's national dish. Just as in it's neighboring countries of India and Bangladesh, dal-bhat forms the staple diet of the majority of the people in Nepal. If served along with a vegetable side dish, the dish would be dal-bhath-tarkari, tarkari referring to the vegetables. From an Indian context, I found the dal preparation simple yet flavorful and loved it served along with Basmati rice. The dal preparation varies region wise in Nepal and I found this version more appealing and authentic.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. ghee / oil
3 dried red chilies 
1 big onion, finely chopped
1 or 2  garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp. finely grated ginger
1 tsp. crushed coriander seeds
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1 cup toordal / yellow lentils (or other colored lentils can be substituted.)
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. minced cilantro leaves to garnish

Method:
* Heat ghee / oil in a pan or directly in a pressure cooker, if using the cooker to cook lentils.
* Add chili and saute for few seconds. Then add onion, garlic, ginger and ground coriander and continue to fry on low flame until onion turns translucent.
* Wash lentils in two exchanges of water and drain. Add the rinsed lentils, turmeric and about 2 cups of water to the pan / pressure cooker.
* Cook for 2 - 3 whistles if using pressure cooker. If using a sauce pan, cook until lentils are done, stirring and adding water intermittently as needed.
* Add salt and minced cilantro to the cooked lentils and mix well to combine. (If the pressure cooked dal appears thick, add some water and bring it to a boil.)

Note:
Squeeze and add juice of half a lemon / lime to the dal if desired.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56

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