Stuffed Karela. Stuffed Kaakarkkai. Stuffed Pavakkai/Pagarkkai.

Salma Aunty is my ‘Culnary Guru’! She is a very good friend to my family! She is really talented person….almost everyday she makes something new to Uncle! Lucky him! She is too good….to share all her new creative recipe with me. I was a teenager at that time…..so I just hog her food, compliment her and never try to learn it. Later when I started cooking…..I almost bothered her everyday over phone. But she was sweet enough to let me know….all her secret recipes!:) So this is her creative recipe here. My whole family is fan to this recipe and we call this as ‘Salma’s Karela’ at Home!

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd small size 8
Dry coconut 1 (Coparai)
Garlic 4-5 cloves
Salt
Sour curd/buttermilk 1 cup
Lime juice few spoons
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Red chili powder 1 spoon
Coconut oil 3-4 spoons
Vegetable oil for deep/pan frying
Curry leaves few for garnishing(optional).

Method:

1. First make small pieces out of dry coconut. Then grate it in a blender. Set it aside.

2. Remove the outer serrated portion of bitter gourd…..using a scraper. Scrape away the thick greenish serrations entirely. By doing this its bitterness is half gone.

3. Then make an incision at one side of the gourd. With the help of a spreader/back of spoon…….scoop away the seeds too.

4. Now wash the vegetable in running water until the water runs clear.

5. In a bowl add salt, turmeric, curd and lime juice. Mix them well. Then marinate the vegetable for complete 1 hour. By doing this the bitterness is 3/4th gone.

6. In a deep frying pan, heat oil. Maintain the stove over medium heat. Once the oil is hot….fry 3-4 gourd at a time. Turn it to all sides until it turns up to deep reddish brown. Repeat the process for all gourds. Set aside the fried gourds over kitchen tissues for some time.

7. In a wide pan add few spoons of coconut oil. Now add grated dry coconut to it. Roast them well for even color. Toast it till its light reddish brown and till very good aroma fills the room.

8. In a blender add garlic, salt, turmeric, chili powder and this toasted coconut. Just give one or two quick shot…..so that all ingredients gets well mixed with coconut powder.

9. In the same toasted pan, add fried bitter gourd and coconut powder. Fry them till gourds outer layer rolled with coconut and at the same time raw smell of chili powder is gone. This should be done in very low flame.

10. Now in the bitter gourd slit fill the dry coconut and serve.

This side dish will be good enough….when served with curd rice and dal rice.