Karatyachi Bhaji\ Karlyachi Bhaji\ Karele ki Sabji\ Stir Fried Bitter Gourd

The Bitter Gourd season in our garden is still not over. Still loads of bitter gourd everyday. And that keeps me always hunting for some variations of bitter gourd recipes.

I just love bitter gourds. But no one else likes them in my family like the way I do. Hence I usually avoid cooking it. But these garden fresh bitter gourds are really tempting.

I thought now its time to pamper my self and indulge in my favourite recipes. I really miss my mom so much. She is the only one in this world who pampers me with my favourite recipes. Staying far away from Goa and my parents has taught me to pamper my self.

Bitter Gourd is known by multiple names. Karathe in Konkani, Karla in Marathi, Karela in Hindi, etc. This is a simple recipe of stir fried bitter gourd but just my favourite.

Ingredients:
Bitter Gourd - 3
Green chilies - 3
Karipatta leaves - 7-8
Mustard seeds - half teaspoon
Cumin seeds - half teaspoon

Oil - 2 tablespoon
Chilli Powder - half teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - half teaspoon
Hing
Salt
Jaggery

Procedure:
1. Finely chop the bitter gourd. Do not peel the skin of bitter gourd. Add a pinch of salt and keep it aside for one hour. Drain the water and wash it again with water and keep it aside. This will reduce the bitterness of the bitter gourd.

2. In a pan, add 2 table spoon oil. Add mustard seeds, once they splutter, add cumin seeds.
3. Next add green chillies, karipatta and hing.
4. Finally add the bitter gourd.
5. Add the jaggery and salt.
6. Cover it with a lid and cook covered on a medium flame for 5-10 mins.
7. Once it is cooked, turn off the stove.

The Karatyachi Bhaji is ready.
Serve it with rotis or as a side dish with rice.

Notes:
1. You can also add half teaspoon Amchur Powder. It will give an amazing flavour.
2.  I have prepared it without onion. But the same can also be prepared using onion.
3. You can skip the jaggery. I just love the combination of bitter gourd n jaggery. Hence i added it.

Vegetable CousCous

CousCous are basically small granules of durum wheat and it is very popular in North Africa. It can be easily cooked by soaking in hot water for a few minutes. In my opinion, it is a quick and versatile food. When combined with cooked veggies, we prepare vegetable CousCous. While when just tossed with some raw veggies, it brings out awesome salads.

This is my first attempt at CousCous, and i am really impressed with he power of this African speciciality.

Here goes the simple and healthy recipe of Vegetable CousCous

Ingriedients:
Onions -1 - chopped finely
CousCous - half cup

Carrots  - finely chopped
Bell Pepper - finely chopped
Green Peas
Garlic - 3-4 petals - chopped
Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
Water - half cup
Salt

Procedure:
1. Keep half cup water for boiling. Once its is boiling hot, add half cup CousCous and a pinch of salt. Keep aside. Keep it for 2-3 mins. Alternately follow the cooking instructions mentioned on the CousCous packet. In the meantime, chop all the veggies.
2.  Tak a vok, add olive oil, then add chopped garlic
3. Next add chopped onions and a pinch of salt.
4. Fry for some time, Next add all the veggies and fry them on high flame by continuously stirring. The veggies should get cooked properly.
5. Once they are cooked, add the ready CousCous and sufficient salt and mix well.

Delicious Vegetable CousCous is ready.

Serve it hot with some salads.

Tips:
1. Chop the veggies finely so that they get cooked faster when tossed in olive oil.
2. You can add other veggies like corn, beans, sprouts, etc.

Spicy Mashed Pumpkin

This is one of my own recipes and the motivation for this comes from the trouble that we all have while peeling and chopping the pumpkin into small cubes. So finally i found this another way of cooking pumpkin, which takes very less effort and time and yet retain the yummy taste of pumpkin curry.

The only twist I did here was that instead of peeling the skin and then chopping the pumpkin, I just put the Kent cut pumpkin in the pressure cooker and cooked for 3 whistles. Once it cools down, i mashed it with the knife. The best part of this preparation is that the pumpkin skin can be used too in the curry.

Ingriedients:
Pumpkin\ Kaddu - Kent cut
Mustard seeds - half teaspoon
Jeera\ Cumin seeds - half teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Hing\ Asoefatida
Green chillies -2
Karipatta - 4-5 leaves
Jaggery - 2 tablespoon
Salt
Oil - 1 tablespoon

Procedure:
1. Wash the pumpkin, and cut it into two parts or such that it fits in the pressure cooker and take cook for 3 whistles. Do not peel the skin. Once it cools down, mash it with a knife.
2. Take a vok, add 1 tablespoon oil.
3. Once oil is hot, add half teaspoon mustard seeds.
4. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the cumin seeds, hing, green chillies and karipatta leaves.
5. Next add turmeric powder.
6. Finally add the mashed pumpkin.
7. Add salt and then add jaggery and mix well.
8. Let it cook for around 5 minutes on a low flame with the lid open.
9. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

The delicious spicy mashed pumpkin is ready.

Serve it as a side dish with rice or roti.

Notes:
1. Instead of mashing the boiled pumpkin, you can also cut it into small cubes. It is easier to cut the boiled pumpkin rather than the raw one.

Karatyache Nonche\ Karlyacha Loncha\ Karele ka Achar\ Bitter Gourd Pickle

Lots and Lots of fresh bitter gourd in our garden. Since my childhood days, I really love these bitter gourds. In India, whenever my mom visited us, she always prepared Bitter Gourd pickle for me so that I can enjoy it for many days. Here in Sydney I really miss my mom and her lovely delicious food.

No option left, I tried making the bitter gourd pickle for my self. It did not come as delicious as my moms', but quite good for a first try.

Here is one picture of our garden fresh bitter gourds.

Here is the recipe for my version of bitter gourd pickle.

Ingriedients:
Bitter Gourd\ Karela - 3
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Sauf\ Fennel Seeds - half teaspoon
Hing - half teaspoon
Salt
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Jaggery - half cup

Procedure:
1. Peel the outer skin of bitter gourd and discard it. Also discard the seeds. Finely chop the bitter gourd and apply salt and keep aside for half an hour.

2. After half an hour, rinse the chopped bitter gourd with water, 2-3 times. This is to reduce the bitterness of karela.
3. In a vok, add 2 tablespoon oil. Add mutard seeds. Once they splutter  add cumin seeds, fennel seeds and hing.
4. Next add the bittergourd, add salt and mix well and let it cook for some time.
5. Once the bitter gourd is half cooked, add the chilli powder and mix well.
5.  Next add the jaggery and again let it cook for some time, till the bitter gourd is completely cooked.

Serve it with any meal as a side dish
Once it cools down , store it in a air tight container in the fridge.

Notes:
1. Adjust the chilli powder and jaggery as per your taste.
2. This pickle stays in the fridge for around a week.

Lauki Ki Sabji\ Bottle Gourd Curry

Bottle Gourd alos known as Lauki is usually not a common favourite. But is very healthy and highly nutricious vegetable.

Hence everytime I try to experiment with it. This time I cooked it togather with yellow moong dal and the outcome was not bad.

Ingredients:
Bottle Gourd\ Lauki - 1 small
Yellow moong dal - half cup
Onion - 1 (finely chopped)

Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder - half teaspoon
Turmeric powder - half teaspoon
Mustard seeds - half teaspoon
Jeera seeds - half teaspoon

Hing
Oil - 2 teaspoon
Salt
Water

Procedure:
1. Wash and soak the yellow moong dal for half an hour in water
2. Wash the bottle gourd and peel the skin. Chop the bottle gourd and keep aside.
3. Take a kadhai, add 2 teaspoon oil, next add mustard seeds.
4. Once they splutter, add jeera and then hing
5  Finely added chopped onion, Fry it till golden brown.
6. Next add Chilli powder, Turmeric powder and Garam masala.
7. Next add chopped bottle gourd and cook it for som time
8. Next add the soaked moong dal.
9. Add half cup boiling water and sufficient salt.

Lauki ki sabji is ready.
Serve it hot with rice or rotis

Notes:
1. You can add jaggery and peanut powder to enhance the taste of the curry.