Bitter Gourd Fry with Onions

Bitter gourd and onion fry – a great way to eat bitter gourd if you aren’t a fan of its taste. A combination with onions is one of the best ways of reducing the bitterness of bitter gourd.

Well, this is also a side effect of onion prices diving down from Rs 60/- per kg to Rs 20/- per kg – my no-onion spree is on a break, my kitchen is stacked with onions now and I’m adding the bulb copiously to any vegetable I make.

On to the recipe now…

You Need:

• Bitter Gourd – 2
• Onions – 4, sliced
• Oil – 2 tsps
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Green chilli – 1
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 2 tsp
• Salt – to taste

How To:

Slice the bitter gourd into thin disks. Slice the onions into rings. Chop the green chilli.

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Add cumin seeds, when they splutter add the green chilli, bitter gourd and onion slices together. Mix and cook covered for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover, add turmeric powder and coriander powder. Keep stirring till the masalas lose their rawness and the bitter gourd is cooked. A minute before the dish is done, mix salt.

I like to have this with parathas, potato curry and curd.

Notes:

[1] How to check that the bitter gourd is fresh and young? It should be firm to touch and the surface should be deep green. When sliced, the flesh and seeds should be white, not yellow or brown. The seeds should be small and edible.

[2] If you scrape the bitter gourd surface before slicing, you won’t need to bother that much about cleaning – just wash it once after scraping. If you want to retain the skin, you might have to wash the bumpy surface really well before slicing.