"Karate’ Sasam (Bitter Gourd Curry)" served with Ghee Rice … Karate’ is bitter in taste veggie that most of us have a love- hate relationship with … however the bitter truth is it is loaded with health benefits and is advised to be included in diet ... well in the long run it is sure to win hearts so include them in your meals as often as possible ... prepared Karate’ Sasam a dish with inclusion of ground masala and curds ... tasted delicious served it with Ghee Rice .... Yummilicious ....
** Karate' also known as Karela/ Bitter Gourd/ Haagala Kaayi and by a few more different names as per the region is a bitter vegetable that is somehow not liked by most people for its bitter taste especially by children. Well as I mentioned, the bitter truth is, they are loaded with healthy nutrients and in order to get maximum benefits, we need to include them prepared in various ways to be enjoyed and relished.
** Most of the time its just a matter of routine habits, as eating with compulsion changes out thinking towards certain veggies and we slowly adapt to its taste without a murmur. The light green one’s available are a little bit less bitter in taste than the darker green variety, while the health benefits are the same for both. Until a few years back I too used to turn up my nose at the bitter taste, but now I have learned to cook it appealingly.
** For more about its health benefits you can always search on net as there is plenty out there. For those who are still hesitant just note that the best way to enjoy karela is to adapt them into our diet cooking the way we like our food to be. A little bit of jaggery/ gud added while cooking along with masala makes it less bitter. Slowly the taste will be adapted to by our taste buds and then there is no looking back.
** Habits die hard and to give your children healthy life that will be continued by them too and so on make this a habit with them at young age. Children can initially always be lured into eating dishes they dislike by promising them some lovely desserts once they have eaten the food and they are readily game for it. This is a simple dish, that can be prepared and enjoyed with rice/ pulav/ ghee rice or any other way you chose to.
** Here is my simple recipe for "Karate’ Sasam (Bitter Gourd Curry)" ... my style ...
** Wash and pat dry 2 large sized karelas/ bitter gourd. I used the light green variety that is a little bit less bitter, you can use the dark colored one’s too. Slice off the edges on both sides and cut them into rings. Wash them again in plenty of water.
** Note : I have not removed the seeds within, but if you do not want them you can remove and use the rings only. However, the seeds have lots of medicinal properties in them, so my suggestion would be to retain them.
** Note : Application of salt and leaving aside for sometime is also up-to individual choice. If you apply salt all over and leave it aside for an hour or so and then gently squeeze out the water or rinse the same, the bitterness is said to have lessened. However, I do not follow this step. It is my belief that nature creation should never be tampered with, I guess God must have created them as per our body requirements. You may follow the method of applying salt as mentioned above if you desire.
** To be Ground into a fine Masala : In a small frying pan add 1 tsp of oil (tel/ tela), when hot add in 8-10 methi (fenugreek) seeds, 1 tblsp hing (asafoetida) powder, ½ tsp haldi (turmeric) powder, 2 tblsp of chana dal (bengal gram dal/ chane dali), 1 tsp Jeera (cumin) seeds and fry for a few minutes.
** Remove and put it in a mixer grinder along with ½ cup of freshly grated coconut (soyi/ nariyal) and 8-10 green chillies (tarni mirsanga/ hari mirchi) cut to pieces. Grind to a smooth paste with little bit of water. Lastly add in ½ tsp of mustard (sasam/ rai) and further grind for a minute or two. Do not over grind once the mustard is added or else it will turn bitter. Also do not add excess water. Keep this ready aside.
** Add bitter gourd pieces in a vessel with 1-2 cups of water and bring to boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook till 50% done. Now add 2-3 tblsp of grated jaggery (goda/ gud) and salt (namak/ meeta) to taste and cook till 80% done. Add in the ground masala, mix well and cook on medium heat till you see bubbles appearing on surface. Lower the heat and let simmer for a few minutes until the bitter gourds are cooked.
** Beat and add ½-1 cup of thick less sour curds (dahi/ yogurt) to the curry. Mix well and cook just for a minute or two on minimum/ low heat. Remove the curry from fire, mix once again properly and keep it aside covered to rest. DO NOT OVERCOOK once the curds are added, just for 1-2 minutes are more than enough as the curry may otherwise get curdled/ spoilt. So, keep a keen watch out for the same and also do not added excess water as the curry should be thick in consistency, you can always add more if required while serving.
** For Tempering/ Seasoning/ Tadka/ Pannaka : Heat 1 tblsp of coconut oil (nariyal tel/ narlel tela) in a small pan, add ½ tsp jeera (cumin seeds), 4-5 methi (fenugreek) seeds, ½ tsp mustard seeds (sasam/ rai), when the mustard seeds splutter, add 8-10 fresh curry leaves (kadipatta/ karbevu) and 2-3 dry red chillies (sukki mirsanga) cut to bits, fry for few seconds and then pour it over the curry kept aside. Cover and let rest aside for 15-20 mins for the flavours to seep into the curry properly.
** "Karate’ Sasam (Bitter Gourd Curry)" is done and ready to be served. You can serve this curry with Rice/ mildly spiced Veg. Pulav/ Ghee Rice/ Jeera Rice or Roti, though personally I would not recommend roti/ chapatti or parathas. I served it with our favorite Ghee Rice and it definitely was a bitter sweet combination of a delicious dishes that we relished with joy, you can try your own combo too.
** For the Ghee Rice Recipe, Please follow the link given below ….
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks.