भरवां करेले / Stuffed Karela.

भरवां करेले / Stuffed Karela ..

To make Bharwan Karela / Stuffed Karela choose 6-8 small sized karela which goes very well for this dish. Rinse them well under running water. Wipe them dry. Grate the out skin of the karela till you get a smooth surface. Be careful not to grate too much, just the top of the karela. Do not throw the gratings apply salt to the grates and keep aside. Make slit / cut on each karela vertically keeping the karela otherwise intact. Remove the pith and seeds by slowly inserting the knife or with your hands. Be careful to see that the karela does not break up. Do not use force. You can watch any video on You tube to get the exact method to enable you to do this. Again wash the karela so that it is clean both inside and outside. 

The next method is optional. Rub in salt both inside and outside of the karela and keep them aside for 15 minutes. This is to remove bitterness if any. I do not do it as I feel a bit of bitterness is good for health, Nature being the perfect giver of what is good and bad. However if you rub in salt, keep it for 15 minutes and them rinse and wipe them dry. 

For the filling : In a mixer grind ½ cup of urad dal to a grainy texture (like chiroti rava). Add ¼ cup of chiroti rava to this and keep aside. 

Grind to a paste without adding any water ½ cup of coriander leaves, 1/3 cup of pudina leaves, 6-8 green chillies. Remove and keep aside.

Heat a kadai and add in the karela gratings after rinsing off the salt from it and squeezing out as much water as possible. Cook in its own moisture till dry. This will take 3-4 minutes. Remove and keep aside.

Heat about 3-4 tblsp of oil in a kadai. Add ½ tsp rai (sasam) when they splutter, lower the heat and add 10-15 curry leaves cut into tiny pieces, add 1 tsp hing powder, ½ tsp haldi powder, 1 tsp red chilly powder, ½ tsp jeera powder, ½ tsp dhania powder, ½ tsp fennel powder, 1 tsp Goda masala powder fry a bit then add in 1 cup of freshly grated coconut and mix well. Keep frying. Add in the coriander, pudina, chilly paste to the mixture along with the cooked karela gratings and keep frying on medium heat for some time till the mixture is crisp and there is no moisture. This will take a good 15-20 minutes to fry. Remove from heat and let cool a bit, when still warm add salt to taste, 1 tsp of amchur powder and 3 tblsp of grated jaggery and mix well with your hands to a crumbled mixture. The jaggery should be well mixed into it. Leave to cool completely. The filling mixture is ready.

For stuffing of the Karela : Take some prepared mixture and fill it in the karelas with the help of a spoon or with hands. Stuff well, but do not overstuff them, they should close well, when pressed together so that the masala does not come out. Tighten the stuffed karela with a clean thread all around it and tie a knot so that it does not loosen out while frying. 

Heat 2-3 tblsp of oil in a pan, gently put in the karelas and fry on a low-medium flame till they get evenly browned and cooked on all side. Do not increase the heat as the karela may get burnt or if at all some masala comes off it will burn faster and then so will the karela.

Once evenly browned remove on a absorbent paper and drain off the excess oil. Cut off the thread tied to the karela. Stuffed Karela is ready. Serve as as accompaniment to any dish.