Kitchen Tantra

Bitter Gourd Peanuts Fry:

Bitter Melon with Peanuts Fry. Bitter Gourdwith Groundnut Fry. Paavakkai Verkadalai Poriyal. Karela Masala. Karela aur Phalli Ki Sabzi. Karela-Phalli Sabzi. Kaakarkai-Phalli Koora.

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd(Pavakkai/Karela/Kakarkai) – 500 grams
Peanuts/groundnuts – 2 cup (without shells)
Dry red chilies 10-15
Salt
Turmeric powder ¼ spoon
Ground nut oil – 1 cup
Mustard seeds 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Curry leaves crisply fried 1 cup – for decoration.

Method:

Dry toast the peanuts in a heated iron wok. Transfer them to a wide plate. Carefully rub them to remove the fine pink skin.(from the peanuts)

Again dry toast the red chilies in the same wok.

In a blender, add toasted peanuts + chilies and grate it. Set this aside.

Wash and clean the ‘bitter’. Then trim their ends.

Variation 1: (for those who hate bitter food) Gently scrape down their hard serrations. Make a neat incision at one end and remove its contents(hard seeds). Then wash them thoroughly. Now chop them into tiny bits.

Variation 2: ( for those who love bitter food) Chop them into tiny bits along with rough skin and seeds inside.

In a wok, heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them pop and splutter well.

Add chopped vegetable now and sauté for few minutes. Further add salt and turmeric powder to this. Cover and cook for few minutes.

When the vegetable is half the way done, add grated peanuts and chilies, stir fry over medium to high heat. Maybe till they are really fried and fragrant.

Transfer them to display vessel and decorate with crisply fried curry leaves.

Serve warm as a side dish for curd rice, sambar rice, rasam rice or even with chappathi.

Labels: Bitter Gourd