Kakarakaya Pulusu Bellam Koora - Sweet & Sour Bitter-Gourd Curry

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Preparations:

Wash, clean and cut the bitter gourds into medium sized pieces. Remove the seeds. Take these bitter gourd pieces into a microwave safe bowl and add some water. Place this bowl in a microwave oven and cover it partially. Cook the bitter gourds on high power for 5 minutes. Stir once with a spoon and again microwave on 30% power for 7 minutes. Allow 3 minutes standing time before taking out the bowl from microwave oven.

Take tamarind into a microwave safe bowl and add some water. Place this bowl in a microwave oven and cook on high power for 40 seconds or till it reaches a boil. Cool the cooked tamarind and grind along with grated jaggery into a paste.

Wash and chop curry leaves.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When the oil is hot add fenugreek seeds, bengal gram and black gram. Fry till the seeds start changing color. Then add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry till the seeds crackle. Then add the chopped curry leaves and fry well. Now add the cooked bitter gourd pieces and mix well. Add salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder. Mix well and add the ground tamarind paste. Mix well and add some (10 to 15ml) water and cook covered on slow flame for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes remove the lid and cook for a minute. Transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Serve hot with plain rice.

Points To Remember:

First wash the vegetables in 2% salt water to remove the toxins of the pesticides used while growing them. Then wash again in plain water. After washing the vegetables thoroughly cut them.

Remove the hard seeds of the bitter gourd after cutting them. Otherwise they will increase the bitterness of the curry.

Add just 10 to 15ml water while cooking the bitter gourds in microwave oven. There won’t be any water left after they get cooked.

Out of 6 tastes, this curry has 5 tastes of nature ( Bitter, Sour, Salty, Hot and Sweet).

Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Sree said...

Thanks for the recipe. I made it today and karela never tasted so good before!

January 18, 2010 10:15 PM

Anonymous said...

I tried this recipe and it was a hit.

My husband and daughter loved it.

Thanks for the recipe.

January 19, 2010 9:52 PM