“Karathe-Keerla Sukke (Bitter Gourd- Bamboo ShootsDry Masala Curry)” … sukke is a traditional side dish from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared with assorted seasonal veggies to be served during meals … tastes awesome served with Dal- Chawal/ Roti/ Dosa etc. …. Yummilicious …
** Sukke as I have mentioned umpteen times is a semi dry side dish from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared with available seasonal veggies though sometimes even pulses are added on. I will not run into details about sukke as I have posted plenty of them from time to time with different veggies or pulses. I prepare it often at home in different combinations and serve it as side dish either with dalitoy- rice or roti or dosa. I will share a common link to all “Sukke” dishes shared in this blog before, you may browse through the same in leisure and try them out as per your convenience.
** I have prepared this sukke with Karathe and Keerlu. Karela/ karathe/ Bitter gourd though is available almost all round the year, you really to get good ones during monsoon. As a matter of fact we get loads of veggies during monsoon season, added on as a bonus as it is the month of many festivals. Bitter gourd though is bitter in taste as the name itself spells; is however considered to be healthy and should be consumed though some people shun it as it cause pitta/ acidity for them. But then if you limit intake then it will definitely balance the dosha in the long run, so do try them a little bit at a time.
** During monsoon plenty of seasonal veggies are available and one of them is hogplum/ ambado a tart in taste veggie added to curries. Though I would have preferred to use them in this dish I did not have any so added on sun dried kudampuli (Malabar tamarind) which has a unique taste of its with plenty of medicinal benefits. Keerlu/ Bamboo shoots can be used either fresh or biine, I have used brined ones. A little bit of jaggery added on to the curry balances the bitterness of karathe which is optional though I would recommend it for this particular dish. Do try this dish, it tastes best served with dal- chawal or roti.
** Here is the Recipe to “Karathe-Keerla Sukke (Bitter Gourd- Bamboo ShootsDry Masala Curry)” … My Style ….
** Ingredients :
Karela/ karathe/ Bitter gourd : 500 gms
Mitta ghallele Keerlu/ Brined Bamboo Shoots : 15-18 pieces of 1 inch sized cubes
Sun Dried Kudampuli/ Malabar Tamarind : 3-4
Jaggery/ Goda/ Gud/ Bella : 2 tblsp grated
Salt/ Meeta/ Namak : if needed only.
** For Masala to be Ground :
Coconut/ Soyi/ Nariyal : 1 cup freshly grated.
Urad dal/ Black gram dal : 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds/ Kothimbir/ Dhania : 1 tblsp
Kashmiri Red Chillies/ Kumte Mirsanga/ Byadgi Mirchi : 8-10
Oil/ Tel/ Tela : 1 tsp
** For Tempering/ Pannaka/ Tadka :
Coconut Oil/ NariyalTel/ Narlel Tela : 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds/ Sasam/ Rai : 1 tsp
Curry leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 10-12 fresh ones
** I have used mitta ghallele keerlu (brined/ salt preserved ones) for this curry, you can use fresh ones too. If using fresh bamboo shoots, remove outer cover and cut them into pieces of 1 inch cubes and soak it in water for 48 hours or atleast 12 hours and then use. And if using Brined bamboo shoots, it should be put in plenty of water either overnight or for a few hours and the water should be changed 4-5 times to remove excess salt content from the keerlu or else the dish will turn too salty. If they are larger in size cut, them into 1 inch sized cubes and keep them ready aside.
** Note : 1 have already written an article giving full explanation of how to cut, store, brine and use bamboo shoots, sharing the link at the bottom of this recipe, please go through the same and prepare the shoots in similar way for using.
** Wash and cut karathe/ karela/ bitter gourd lengthwise into 4 pieces, remove the inner seeds and then cut them into one inch sized cubes and keep it aside. Do not scrape the nodes of bitter gourd, they contain all the nutrients.
** Note : You get both dark green and light green in color bitter gourds / karate’, you can use any. The light colored one’s are supposed to be less bitter in taste. For this particular recipe I have used light colored one’s as that was the one which was available in market for me. You may use any you desire.
** Note : You can apply salt to bitter gourd, rest it for 15 mins, then squeeze out the water and use them. It is believed it remove some of bitterness, however, I never follow this procedure, as the medicinal contents and nutrients will be lost. Also, I believe God creates everything in this world with some purpose behind it and man should avoid tampering with it and try consuming them as much close to as possible with minimum changes. However, you can do the same if you wish (optional).
** Add the prepared and kept keerlu/ bamboo shoots into a pressure cooker pan in a single layer. Top it with the karathe/ bitter gourd pieces in an even layer. Add about 1-2 cups of water and pressure cook on medium heat to 2 whistles. Let the cooker rest and the pressure release by itself, open and remove the cooked veggies.
** Masala to be Ground into a paste : Heat oil in a small kadai, add urad dal, let fry a bit, when colour changes slightly add coriander seeds and continue to fry for a minute, lastly add red chillies and fry for another minute. Remove, cool a bit and add them into a mixer grinder along with freshly grated coconut and grind to a paste adding just a little bit of water to grind to a smooth even thick textured paste.
** Note : The paste need not be ground too fine but should not be coarse too. You can use pressure cooked veggies water for grinding which is what I do. Using the cooked water helps in retaining cooked flavors of the veggies intact.
** Note : For the curry you can use any one of the tart tasting fruit/ veggies mentioned like, bimbul (tree sorrel fruit), ambado (Hog Plum), karmbala (carmbola/ starfruit), ambuli (raw mango), harvo tomato (raw- green tomato), dried kokum, kudampuli etc. as is available. In case you do not have access to any one of them or they are not available or again, if you do not want to use them then for any reason, do not worry, you can add in a small marble sized piece of tamarind (chinchama/ Imly) while grinding the masala which is what is followed in GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine.
** Add cooked veggies into a thick bottomed kadai/ pan along with ground masala and mix well adding more water only if required, remember sukke is a thick textured side dish, so be careful with addition of water. Wash and add kudampuli/ Malabar tamarind and bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring often.
** Add grated jaggery/ gud, mix well, lower the heat and cook on for 4-5 minutes or till you see bubbles appearing on surface. Do not leave the curry unattended as there are chances of it getting burnt at the bottom as it is thick in texture.
** Note : Addition of jaggery/ gud is optional and if not desired can be skipped. I often prefer dishes without jaggery, however this particular dish taste great with a slight tinge of sweet taste especially when served with roti, try it, sure to be loved.
** About adding salt to the curry : You may add salt only after checking out once the curry is done in case you have added brined keerlu/ bamboo shoots. Brined keerlu has quite a lot of salt and despite following the above mentioned method of soaking and changing water sometimes it’s still salty, so check and add only if necessary to avoid excess salt. Bear in mind that too much salt is not good for health.
** For Tempering/ Pannaka/ Tadka : Heat oil in a small pan, when hot add mustard seeds, when they splutter add curry leaves, fry a bit and then pour it over the curry. Cover with a lid and leave aside for some time for the flavors to seep in.
** “Karathe-Keerla Sukke (Bitter Gourd- Bamboo ShootsDry Masala Curry)” is done and ready to be served. This is a semi dry curry and is usually served as side dish with dalitoy (spiced tuvar dal) and rice along with other dishes during meals in Konkani Saraswat community homes. However, it tastes equally tasty with chapatti/ roti/ poori/ Idly or dosa too and today I have served with roti and we loved it.
** Do try this dish out, if you love bitter gourds. Children may resist eating this as it is slightly bitter in taste, but I think you should coax them to eat the same, as it is very good if they develop the habit of eating bitter gourds during childhood itself. It is within us as to how we form a habit with food, taste etc. I too have issue with bitter gourd as I get pitta/ acidity next day, but I still eat it as it is good for health.
** I always feel that we should eat everything that God/ Mother Nature has offered us, as an edible veggie even if it means a reluctant bite or two. Remember if you do so, so will your children and so will coming generations. So, it is best to introduce to children all types of traditional foods at young age and make a habit of the same, sometimes with advancement of age it is very difficult to change eating habits.
** About Bamboo Shoots/ Keerulu : It remains good if brined/ salt water preserved well for over an year and often it has lasted me for almost 2-3 yrs. Many a times Bamboo shoots/ keelu is not liked by many for its distinct taste.. For all those who do not like the taste of bamboo shoots, trust me it does happen so first time, you can eat it reluctantly if you have to few times, say just a piece or two and slowly you will be accustomed to the taste and I am sure you will begin to love the taste over time.
** I served this dish with "Chapati/ Phulka" and it was a lovely combo. Sharing link to the recipe if needed below ...
** There are many dishes with "Keelu/ bamboo shoots" in my Blog, sharing common links below along with an link to article on method of "preserving bamboo shoots" with step by step pictures. Also including common link to all “Sukke" and “Karathe/ Bitter Gourd” recipes shared in the Blog. You may check and prepare that which appeals to you and your family, they are simple to prepare and tasty ….
https://gayathrifoodbytes.blogspot.com/search?q=bitter+gourd
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