Bitter Gourd Stir Fry (Karele ki Sabzi)

Bitter Gourd stir fry or 'Karele ki Sabzi' as it is popularly known in India has always been my all time favorite. Most of my friends in school and college did not like it and used to be surprised why I loved the "bitter" taste so much. I think this probably has to do with how my mom makes this dish. She adds jaggery to it, which gives it a little sweet taste. I just love it.  My version is just a humble effort to make it somewhat similar to how she makes it :) 

There is one slight hitch though. My mother's generation was probably not too much worried about the calories and she used a lot of oil :). (My mom has been extremely active throughout her life and hardly needs to worry about those extra calories) In fact, she deep fries the bitter gourd before adding the rest of the ingredients. I have skipped that and done the cooking with just 2 tbsp of oil. This does compromise the taste somewhat but all in all it turned out quite well :) 


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

• Bitter Gourd - 2
• Onions - 2 (medium sized)
• Ginger - 1 tbsp (shredded)
• Garlic - 1 tbsp (shredded)
• Green Chilies - 2-3 (finely chopped)
• Cooking Oil - 2 tbsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp
• Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp
• Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Mango Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
• Fresh Coriander leaves for garnishing

Directions

• Wash the Bitter Gourds thoroughly and using a knife or a peeler, scrape of the screen.

• Make a slit in the Bitter Gourd lengthwise and remove all the seeds. Add salt over the bitter gourd and some salt to the scrape and keep aside for 10 minutes. 

• Meanwhile, peel and slice the onions and shred the ginger and garlic. 

• After 10 minutes, wash of the bitter gourd and the scraped skin thoroughly to remove all the salt. Squeeze of the water from both. Now, slice the bitter gourd into small pieces. 

• In a pan, heat some cooking oil over medium heat and add the cumin seeds. 

• After the cumin seeds finish cracking, add the bitter gourd and saute over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes till they are slightly cooked. 

• Now add the onions, green chilies, ginger, garlic and the scrapped skin and saute for another 5-7 minutes till the onions become transparent.

• At this point, add the fennel seeds, sugar and the rest of the spices, saute for 2-3 minutes and add water and put on the lid. Let it simmer for about 10-12 minutes.

• Remove the lid and keep cooking till all the water evaporates. Your stir fry is now ready.

• Add lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with naan. 

Notes:

• You can add potatoes to this dish if you want.