Friday 19 July 2013

Khatta Meeta Karela | Sweet & Sour Bitter Gourd

Bitter Gourd stir fry with Indian spices & Jaggery



Summer is at it's good mood here & I should admit that I am having a great time. Usually it seems that,  summer here means no snow & frequent rains with sun peaking out once in a while. But this time it's more of the radiant bright yellow hue with less of rains & I sincerely hope it remains the same :) And the pathways & gardens & fences are lined with bright & chirpy flowers in brilliant & bold shades. Even the river that flows through the center of this town looks lush green with the shadow of the big pines & apple & cherry trees on it's banks !! And the days are long as 20 hours, that  you never see the night for nearly 4 months a year,  unless you are a very late sleeper.. Feels heavenly right?? Wait before you decide that this is more better than your hometown :D All these goodness is compensated during the next 8 months of the year, when it snows heavily & you see the sun only for 4 hours a day !! And you can talk about the temperatures in (minus two digit) range :( But, some people do enjoy that weather right, so all together it comes as a package :) So here are some pics for you my friends !!







I have been doing a lot of cooking these days, but the photo shoot does not happen that often & hence it doesn't make it to this space. I had been having a lot of guests & get togethers & some experimental cooking.. Come summer time & it is jolly time for we ladies out here. Frequent get togethers & that implies food, food & a lot of food.. But summer is just an excuse to meet more frequently than in winter :D So coming to today's recipe, it's a bitter gourd stir fry that gels well with rotis & parathas and even with steamed rice & Morukari (Gravy with curd) as I had. Bitter gourd is Deeps' favorite veggie & so it features often in our menu (& hence this space ;)) & I not being a great fan of it, like to experiment with it to suit my taste buds. This recipe is from my mom's old cooking diary which too has a story with it ;) Maybe some other time, I guess I have talked enough for now..  Definitely try this recipe if you are not a great fan of bitter gourd as it has the perfect blend of sweetness & sourness to it which would take you a step closer to liking the healthy veggie !! Some other recipes with bitter gourd that are there in the blog are PitlaPavakka Puli Kuzhambu, Pavakya Pulin Curry & Bitter Gourd Fry.. 

Recipe from Ma's ole diary 

Serves: 3-4 persons

I Took: 35 minutes


I Used:

Bitter Gourd/Karela - 500 gm
Onions - 2 nos - big - chopped
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 ½ tbsp
Red Chilly powder - ⅓ tsp
Coriander powder - ⅓ tsp
Amchur (Dry mango) powder - ½ tsp
Turmeric powder - ⅓ tsp
Jaggery - 4 tsp
White Vinegar/Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - As Needed




The Way:

  1. Wash & scrape the bitter gourd. Remove the seeds and cut them into ½ inch thick pieces
  2. Boil them in salt water. I kept on microwave high for 12 minutes. Drain the water & keep aside
  3. Heat oil in a pan. Fry onion slices. When they turn translucent add the ginger-garlic paste & saute well
  4. Once the raw smell goes off add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder, amchur powder, salt & 4-5 tsp of water & mix well
  5. Add the boiled bitter gourd pieces and mix well. Cover & keep on low flame for 5-6 minvutes
  6. Remove the cover & add jaggery to it. Cover again & cook for 2 minutes 
  7. Remove from flame & add the white vinegar OR lemon juice & mix well
Serve hot with parathas or roti or puri

Cheers,
Chitz

69 comments:

  1. what a photography! i couldn't take my eyes of it,lovely clicks dear

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely pictures...And the sweet and sour karela looks very yum..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely clicks with sweet n sour dish...

    ReplyDelete
  4. wow.... awesome clicks with awesome recipe... love the pictures!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Loved all pictures... Nice recipe

    ReplyDelete
  6. WOW what a picture treat.. Simply loved the rainbow pic. You have captured it perfectly... The recipe looks delicious but I am lost in the beautiful pics of nature

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha.. Glad to hear that u loved the pics Rekha ! Thanks a lot for ur lovely words :)

      Delete
  7. Incredible clicks, although I loved all of them, i cannot take my eyes off that giant lonesome mushroom, perfect!! Ohh only 4 hours of night time, interesting Norway!
    Hey boiling gourd in salt water after scraping is a damn good idea, thx! Also this is a brand new bitter gourd recipe! I would love to try, I have bitter gourd at home, the only ingredient missing is amchur powder from the pantry!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yupz Pavithra.. Land of the Midnight Sun it is, they say that if u go further north, it doesn't set at all.. And that lone mushroom is still der in my lawn !!
      It is ok even if u omit amchur dear,u can still try !

      Delete
  8. love the pictures, its beautiful. bitter gourd is also awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Couldn't take off my eyes from your photographs, lovely natural views. Absolutely delicious karela recipe. thanks for sharing it.

    today's post:
    http://sanolisrecipies.blogspot.in/2013/07/subz-do-pyaza-mixed-vegetables-with.html

    ReplyDelete
  10. Our weather is basically the same, either burning sun or raining. Summer is such a beauty and the pictures simply says it all. I usually cook bitter gourd for my other half because of its remedial effects for diabetics. Thanks for the recipe because I now have another one which I can try out. Beautifully prepared and it certainly has the flavors we will love. The only thing is that we don't have mango powder over here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. U can omit amchur powder Nava :) No probs at all, stil wil taste great !

      Delete
  11. Amazing clicks dear,I can totally understand ur joy on seeing the sun shine ,it fills us with so much of happiness and energy:) A nice recipe,I'm not a big fan of bitter gourd,but this has tempted me to give it a shot :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lovely clicks..
    Summer is always loved by Europeans when compared to Winters! :)
    A very nice recipe indeed... :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. wow amazing photography done dear .. I love the rainbow click a lot :) and sweet and sour bitter guard looks yummy and so very healthy recipe :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Beautiful & stunning clicks, I love the khatta -meeta bitter gourd...
    Thanks for sharing, I will surely try your version looks very inviting.

    ReplyDelete
  15. wow nvr heard of this recipe... so unique.. will give a try surely... btw the double rainbow and mushroom snaps are too good...
    Event: Dish Name Starts with U

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sounds yummy!! Lovely pictures

    ReplyDelete
  17. visual treat Chitra...what a stunning clicks...Are you in Norway...love the mountain -lake pic and mushroom pics.....Bitter gourd recipe looks so good...perfect side dish for rasam rice

    ReplyDelete
  18. Chitz that was such treat I can almost feel the happiness here with double rainbows and the blooms btw is that ur patio? but the other 8 mths phew!!thats lil depressing for me:)

    Wow love the khatta meeta karela !! I would suggest not to drain off the water but cook with just enough so that all the nutrition stays in it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ok, sure.. Will not drain off water from next time.. Thanks Meena :)

      Delete
    2. And yea, most are my clicks & some my hus's ;)

      Delete
  19. Aha another karela recipe, love this. You enjoy the Sun while it lasts girl friend.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Excellent clicks..Especially I love the reflection in water.. Healthy and delicious Bitter gourd gravy..

    ReplyDelete
  21. chitz simply loving every clear clicks...amazing photography...love that double rainbow too...coming to recipe...am a fan of karela..the way i love eating the stir fry is crazy...your version of sweet and sour is interesting...love to try this later days

    ReplyDelete
  22. Muy sabroso me encanta ...preciosas fotos me gusta el hongo maravilloso,hugs.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Delicious Bitter gourd adding jaggery is wonderful. Clicks are beautiful, Love that rainbow. You are master photographer.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Stunning Clicks Lovely!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Your photos are gorgeous! On this side of the world, Ira been a massive heat wave so rain sounds like a good omen!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Though I am not a fan of bitter gourd, I love the khata meetha flavour. The dish looks very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Excellent clicks and recipe. Looks great

    ReplyDelete
  28. great pics Chitz ! though am not a big fan of bitter gourd, addition of jaggery might make it tasty I guess. nice recipe !

    ReplyDelete
  29. Lovely pretty flowers and something interesting with the bitterness. Great.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Beautiful pics. Karela looks yum. Nice flavors.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I am a fan of bitter gourd! The stir-fry looks so inviting.
    Great rainbow click!

    ReplyDelete
  32. lovely recipe with awesome clicks!I have found your blog worth reading and so I am sharing ABC award with you.For more details please visit my post
    http://taste-and-talk.blogspot.in/2013/07/abc-award.html

    ReplyDelete
  33. wow..lovely pictures Chitz.esp loved the rainbow and mushroom image.

    ReplyDelete
  34. lovely garden will get tips from u when i start one.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Thanks a lot everyone for ur awesome & encouraging words :)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Nice article. Thank You for sharing. Looks great.lovely recipe with awesome clicks.


    ZealousHerbals

    ReplyDelete
  37. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Nice work and keep sharing on the regular basis. Pharma Franchisee India is a most trusted pharma pcd franchise companies portal who have wide range of pharma products.

    ReplyDelete
  39. one of the best blogs which you have shared with us! Thanks for sharing this information. Keep it up.WHO GMP Certified pharma franchise company

    ReplyDelete
  40. awsome post! Thanks for sharing this information. Keep it up.Pharma franchise in Maharashtra

    ReplyDelete
  41. i feel very up to date when i read your blogs! Thanks for sharing this information. Keep it up.Monopoly based Antibiotic Pharma Franchise in Assam

    ReplyDelete
  42. This was such an informative Blog. I learned a lot from it.Thanks for sharing!!
    Top 10 PCD Franchise Ophthalmic Companies in India

    ReplyDelete
  43. Mind blowing Article. Thanks for the remarkable information. Please keep updating us.

    Pharma Franchise Company for Critical Care Medicine

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by !! I am really happy that you take time to let me know how you feel :-)