Stuffed Karela (Bitter gourd)) has always been my favorite as it was rarity at home. It is strange but true that the rarer a thing is, the more we want to own it. A simple example many of you women would agree is that we crave for stones or metal such as diamond, platinum and gold, because they are precious (rare). Would we care if it was available in plenty on the streets like a common rock?
Back to the Karela, I was taught to cut it into very fine pieces and make it into a Kar-amudu (Hot delicacy) with spicy powder. Since my times as as diabetic (gestational) and have diabetics in the family, I have grown to love this vegetable as we have found ways to eat it. Frying it usually renders it less bitter, however that is not all that healthy!. So, I had found ways of using it baked as well. I used to stuff it with all kinds of nut powders, gram flour (Guju style) with spices and loved all stuffed recipes.
This recipe is actually a new one I have never tried and want to dedicate it to my friend, Akshaya Dubbewar from Pune who is my colleague at Rich Graviss. We used to have dedicated time off from work during lunch time where all of us would sit together, socialize, share each other's lunches and eat onto clean plates and spoons that would be washed later by hourly labor. This was a wonderful change to the US lunches I was used to where I would eat out of my box staring at the computer. This was great time to know each other, share anecdotes and build relationships. I always cherished my lunch time moments.
Being bred in US culture, I always used to bring left overs in my tiffin box all mixed together. For example, it would be a Sambhar+Rice+Vegetable - all mixed together. All my other colleagues used to bring separate containers where they would separate out the entrees and eat it restaurant style by serving onto the plates.
Let me talk a little about Akshaya who was the best in the crowd for she would bring a full course meal everyday including a salad (she never misses her salad), rice, chapathi (bread), dal (soup) and curry. And all of this was freshly made that morning!!! She would make this meal actually for her husband and pack his lunch. On Saturdays when her husband doesn't go to work, she sometimes brings her favorite potato dish - why only on Saturdays? because her husband doesn't like it, so she could bring it only on a day when he doesn't take lunch! This is not all, she manages to make breakfast for her in-laws and feed her little boy with what he would like for breakfast (may it be dosa, or any snack), get his snack box for school and then come to work!!
Compared to her, I felt I had a really easy life! My husband is tamed in US to eat left overs, adjusts with whatever I feed him (lately he is actually looking forward to my elaborate recipes - am actually spoiling him). In the US I used to make a dish that lasted for 2 days and would make Rice fresh everyday. Here in India, I atleast make a meal everyday! so, that is progress, isn't it?
Akshaya once brought me stuffed karela, the best I have ever tried and so wanted to publish it in my blog. I tried to follow her instructions the best I can. I am waiting to hear from her on what she thought about it, today at work. I loved it! I dedicate this recipe to Akshaya Dubbewar, for all the hard work she puts in everyday to feed her family (one of the many chores) and come to work with a smile!! This dish I discovered requires a lots of preparation and tons of patience.. so Kudos to Akshaya and to all your moms who multitask everyday .... you are all the best!!
Husbands if you are reading this blog, I urge you to take time to chip in the kitchen to help your better half... atleast help her out in her chores, or try to be in her shoes for a difference and you will realize what a daunting task, a cook has - everyday!
Stuffed Karela
Ingredients: 4-6 tbsp of refined oil, 5 medium size Karela cut into 4 pieces; 2 cups peanuts; 5-6 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 a lime/lemon, 1 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing), red chilli powder and salt for taste, chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) for the stuffing.
Cut the Karela into medium size drums and remove the seeds from within. Fry these in oil until brown. Remove from oil and set aside.
In another pan, dry roast the peanuts and remove the skin (this is the difficult part - needs a lot of patience). Alternatively, you could buy Planters peanuts available in stores (salted and peeled). Blowing the peeled skin was the most fun, my kids would have loved it (they are at their Grandparents), but is the most painful to clean afterwards :)
Add the peeled and roasted peanuts, garlic, 1/2 tsp cumin, masala powder, red chilling powder, salt, turmeric, hing and grind it into a nice powder. Add the cilantro into this ground mix and squeeze in the lemon. Stuff the Karela drums with the powder and set aside.
Take some oil from the Karela fry, add mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp of cumin and when these pop, add the stuffed Karela and saute in low heat until all sides are brown.
Serve hot with rice. I also made Sambhar with the beans I had cooked for Chile (has some extra reserved for the Sambhar) that I will share the recipe later. The dish was excellent!
Back to the Karela, I was taught to cut it into very fine pieces and make it into a Kar-amudu (Hot delicacy) with spicy powder. Since my times as as diabetic (gestational) and have diabetics in the family, I have grown to love this vegetable as we have found ways to eat it. Frying it usually renders it less bitter, however that is not all that healthy!. So, I had found ways of using it baked as well. I used to stuff it with all kinds of nut powders, gram flour (Guju style) with spices and loved all stuffed recipes.This recipe is actually a new one I have never tried and want to dedicate it to my friend, Akshaya Dubbewar from Pune who is my colleague at Rich Graviss. We used to have dedicated time off from work during lunch time where all of us would sit together, socialize, share each other's lunches and eat onto clean plates and spoons that would be washed later by hourly labor. This was a wonderful change to the US lunches I was used to where I would eat out of my box staring at the computer. This was great time to know each other, share anecdotes and build relationships. I always cherished my lunch time moments.
Being bred in US culture, I always used to bring left overs in my tiffin box all mixed together. For example, it would be a Sambhar+Rice+Vegetable - all mixed together. All my other colleagues used to bring separate containers where they would separate out the entrees and eat it restaurant style by serving onto the plates.
Let me talk a little about Akshaya who was the best in the crowd for she would bring a full course meal everyday including a salad (she never misses her salad), rice, chapathi (bread), dal (soup) and curry. And all of this was freshly made that morning!!! She would make this meal actually for her husband and pack his lunch. On Saturdays when her husband doesn't go to work, she sometimes brings her favorite potato dish - why only on Saturdays? because her husband doesn't like it, so she could bring it only on a day when he doesn't take lunch! This is not all, she manages to make breakfast for her in-laws and feed her little boy with what he would like for breakfast (may it be dosa, or any snack), get his snack box for school and then come to work!!
Compared to her, I felt I had a really easy life! My husband is tamed in US to eat left overs, adjusts with whatever I feed him (lately he is actually looking forward to my elaborate recipes - am actually spoiling him). In the US I used to make a dish that lasted for 2 days and would make Rice fresh everyday. Here in India, I atleast make a meal everyday! so, that is progress, isn't it?
Akshaya once brought me stuffed karela, the best I have ever tried and so wanted to publish it in my blog. I tried to follow her instructions the best I can. I am waiting to hear from her on what she thought about it, today at work. I loved it! I dedicate this recipe to Akshaya Dubbewar, for all the hard work she puts in everyday to feed her family (one of the many chores) and come to work with a smile!! This dish I discovered requires a lots of preparation and tons of patience.. so Kudos to Akshaya and to all your moms who multitask everyday .... you are all the best!!
Husbands if you are reading this blog, I urge you to take time to chip in the kitchen to help your better half... atleast help her out in her chores, or try to be in her shoes for a difference and you will realize what a daunting task, a cook has - everyday!
Stuffed Karela
Ingredients: 4-6 tbsp of refined oil, 5 medium size Karela cut into 4 pieces; 2 cups peanuts; 5-6 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 a lime/lemon, 1 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing), red chilli powder and salt for taste, chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) for the stuffing.
Cut the Karela into medium size drums and remove the seeds from within. Fry these in oil until brown. Remove from oil and set aside.
In another pan, dry roast the peanuts and remove the skin (this is the difficult part - needs a lot of patience). Alternatively, you could buy Planters peanuts available in stores (salted and peeled). Blowing the peeled skin was the most fun, my kids would have loved it (they are at their Grandparents), but is the most painful to clean afterwards :)
Add the peeled and roasted peanuts, garlic, 1/2 tsp cumin, masala powder, red chilling powder, salt, turmeric, hing and grind it into a nice powder. Add the cilantro into this ground mix and squeeze in the lemon. Stuff the Karela drums with the powder and set aside.
Take some oil from the Karela fry, add mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp of cumin and when these pop, add the stuffed Karela and saute in low heat until all sides are brown.
Serve hot with rice. I also made Sambhar with the beans I had cooked for Chile (has some extra reserved for the Sambhar) that I will share the recipe later. The dish was excellent!
Verdict: Akshaya tasted the same and liked it. Infact everyone in our R&D lab liked it. Turmeric and asafoetida is missing in the recipe that I will add to the recipe.
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