Karela Bhaaji/ Bitter gourd subzi

Believe it or not, Karela is one my son’s favorite vegetable. Since a baby he would relish on it. I like this vegetable as much, though I feel hubby eats it coz of its medicinal values. My mom would always prepare it in different ways, but my favorite was Konkani style karathe baaji. But when she came over 2 years back, she prepared karela in a different style and it was an instant hit. This recipe that follows is very simple and quick to make.

Ingredients:

·         Karela/ Bitter gourd – 3 or 4 small ones

·         Cut Onions – 1 cup

·         Cut Tomato – 1 cup

·         Garlic – 1 tbsp.

·         Chili powder – 1 tsp.

·         Turmeric powder – ½ tsp.

·         Coriander powder – ½ tsp.

·         Grated Jaggery – 2 tbsp.

·         Oil to fry – 1 tbsp.

·         Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:


~  Wash and scrape the skin off on Bitter gourd. Cut open and remove all the seeds. Chop them into very small tit-bits.
~  Heat the oil in a pan and add bitter gourd. Fry them for 5 mins on high heat.
~  Reduce to medium heat and add Onion and Garlic. Add tomatoes and continue to cook. Fry until Onion is half done.
~  Now add all the dry masala powders and fry some more.
~  One all the vegetables are tender and cooked, add salt to taste and jaggery. Give it a mix and switch off the heat. Serve it with chapatti.

TIPS:

·   Add more jaggery if needed.

·   Let the baaji sit for some time before serving. That will make sure karela pulls in all the ingredients and does not taste too bitter.