Lauki stuffed karela

 

#bitter_gourd #lauki #bottle_gourd #veggies #variety #stuffedvegetables #sidedishes

Ingredients: 6 -7 small sized (about 2.5 inches) karela or bitter gourd, 125 gms of grated lauki or bottle gourd (do not squeeze), 1 tbsp gram flour, 6-7 curry leaves, 1.5 tbsp oil, 2 tsp asafoetida, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 3 -4 tsp dry mango or amchur powder, salt to taste,

Preparation Time: 25 min

Recipe:

1. In a shallow pan, add about 1/2 tbsp oil and heat it for seasoning. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and sesame seeds in series followed by asafoetida and curry leaves. As the stuff crackles, add the grated bottle gourd to it. Stir well for a min. Add a pinch of salt, mix and cover with lid with gas on low flame so that the lauki cooks up faster in around 3-4 min.

2. In the meantime, take the karelas and cut off their end points. Peel off the skin of each of them and keep aside. 

3. Check on the lauki. If turned transparent, then add all the spices to it (including salt) and stir for half a minute. Allow the oil to ooze out. Now, add the gram flour to this and mix well. The flour should absorb the water of the lauki masala and also help to form a binding mixture that has to be stuffed in karela. Cover with lid with the gas still at low flame. Allow the flour to cook well for 3-4 min. Keep stirring every minute. Sprinkle water if too dry. However, if still wet, add some more flour. Turn off the gas and allow cooling. Transfer the masala to a plate and divide it in equal portions = number of karelas.

4. Now, slit the karela vertically and cup out the inner flesh along with the seeds. Fill each of the karela with  a portion of the mixture prepared in step 1 and 3. The karelas are now ready to be cooked.  

5. In the pan, add the remaining oil and turn on the gas at medium flame. Now, place all the karelas gently in the pan and cover with lid. Every minute, keep turning the karelas so that they cook evenly from all the sides. Adjust the flame from low to medium. The cooking should take approx 10 min. Once the skin changes color to dull green, the karela starts cooking. You can do a toothpick test (a toothpick can easily be inserted in the karela). If the test fails allow cooking for some more time but ensure to turn over the karelas often.

6.  Plate the karela pieces and have them as a side dish! If required, sprinkle some chat masala on the karelas...

Tips: You can as well add onion to the masala to enhance the taste. No need to re- heat the karelas. They taste great even when cold!