Bitter Gourd Pickle.

 

KaratHe' Nonche / Karela Loncha/ Bitter Gourd Pickle ......... Goes very well with Dosas, Chapati or even Idly ...... 

Karathe' / Karela / Bitter Gourd ….. whenever the name is uttered many turn up their nose in distaste. The bitterness that rules this vegetable puts off many people, specially youngsters, even elders at times. But nature provides us with so many vegetables that are particularly appropriate for the prevailing seasons. God has been so kind in distributing all types of tastes, that tickle the seven senses, but man in his ignorance just does not see through this at times. Karate' though bitter in taste has immense health benefits. I will not go into the details of it, as I am sure everybody knows of it and will simply get bored. 

So what we can do is, adapt them a bit in such way as to suit our family taste. Karate' Nonche / pickle is an instant one as it does not have much of shelf life. However, this is very easy to do and can be done with 30 minutes maximum. Also once kept in fridge, it remains good for 15-20 days. You can serve this with dosa’s instead of chutney which is coconut based. Do try out this awesome dish. Also encourage children to have them. This pickle has a sweet and tangy taste, so I am sure they will like it, that way you can ensure they eat karate / karela.

Wash, wipe and cut off both sides of ends of 7-8 large sized Karathe' / bitter gourd. I have used light coloured Karathe' here, which is available plenty in Mumbai. They are less bitter, but you can use the darker variety also if you wish. Then cut them lengthwise ie vertically into two equal sizes. Remove the seeds in the center and discard them. Now cut them into thin slices of semi circular shape. Put them all in a bowl, add a tsp of salt, mix well and keep aside.

Grate or cut into small pieces 200 gms of jaggery / gud and keep this aside ready. Soak one large lemon sized tamarind in ½ cup of warm water. Remove the pulp, strain and keep aside ready.

For Masala : Heat 2-3 tblsp of oil in a thick bottomed Kadai. When hot add 1 tsp methi seeds, 3 tsp of coriander seeds, 2 tsp mustard seeds (rai / sasam), 2 tsp hing powder or small piece of hing, 1 tsp haldi powder, 15-18 red kashmiri chillies cut into pieces and fry for 5 minutes. Remove and grind to a fine paste with boiled and cooled water. The masala should remain thick so do not add much of water.

Now in a thick bottomed kadai, squeeze off the water and add the karate. Add 2 cups of water, also the prepared tamarind water and bring to boil. Add more water if necessary. Lower the heat to medium and cook the karelas / karate's till half done. Now add in the grated jaggery and mix well. Cover and cook till the karate is 90% done. 

Add in the ground masala, salt to taste (check before adding salt as it was already added to the karate before), mix well and let simmer till bubbles appear on top. Keep stirring in between. The pickle should be of thick consistency. 

Remove and let it cool a bit before you put it in clean bottle. Store it in fridge for further use. Remains good for 15-20 days. Use clean spoon while removing the pickle every time. 

You can serve this pickle with dosa’s especially panpole / neer dosa. They taste too good with them. The two are a good combo and a hit with my family and friends. Also the pickle can be served with other dishes with roti / poori / parotta too. You can apply it in a thin layer between 2 slices of bread, sandwich them and have them for breakfast too. Try it, let your imagines run riot, you will love it.