BITTER GOURD FRY

Bitter gourd, an unliked  vegetable in general . There are also some people who are crazy for bitter gourd for its bitterness. There are so many ways of cooking bitter gourd  tastier. Here is my,  one of the way of preparing  bitter gourd curry. 

Ingredients:

1. Tomato - 2

2. Onion - 1

3. Bitter gourd - 3 ( medium size)

4. Lemon juice - 1 or 2 tsp according to taste

5. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

6. Salt - according to taste

To grind:

1. Coconut - 1 tbs

2. Dhania / coriander seeds - 1/2 tbs

3. Jeera - 1 tsp

4. Red chillies - 2 or 3

5. Asfotedia / hing - 2 tsp

Seasoning:

1. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

2. Jeera - 1 tsp

3. Curry leaves - 1 twig

4. Oil - for cooking

Method:

1. Wash and clean the bitter gourd nicely.  Slice it as thin as you can.

2. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan. Add thinly sliced bitter gourd and fry nicely. Its enough to fry until they get cooked. Keep it aside.

3. In the mean while, grind fresly grated coconut, dhania/ coriander seeds, jeera , hing powder and red chillies to a fine paste and keep it ready.

4. Heat oil in a pan for seasoning.  Add mustard seeds, jeera and curry leaves. Once they got popped, add thinly sliced onions and tomatoes. After they become soft,  add the grind paste and keep frying without sticking to the pan for 2-3 minutes.

5. Once the raw smell goes, you can add the fried bitter gourd to the pan and mix it well. If you want you can even add 2 spoons of water to the curry and fry for 1 more minute to give a nice blend. 

6. Transfer the cooked curry to a serving bowl. Add lemon juice on top of the curry, and mix it well. 

7. Serve hot with  white rice or roti and also as  a side dish with sambhar and rasam.