Devilled Bittergourd

 

Bitter gourd, locally known as faaga, which can be easily grown locally. I remember eating the ripe ones when they turned bright orange. Cutting it open and scooping out the red seeds and sucking them and spitting them out. I never liked the raw ones, which my mum would turn into a dry curry. But with this pandemic, I realized we need to eat more vegetables that can be grown locally and appreciate the fruits and vegetables that are grown locally, hence it helps and encourages the local farmers in return. 

Bitter gourd is also quite nutritious and has a few health benefits. According to this article, I found in Healthline, it is full of Vitamin C and A, rich in folic acid and it is said to help reduce blood sugar. 

So I looked up several recipes and saw this recipe on an old Sri Lankan cookbook of my mother's. It's a very simple recipe, and I love the curry although there were a few complaints at the table during lunch hour. 

Any way to remove the bitterness of the bitter gourd, you have to first scrape the white pith of the gourd.

 Then soak in salted water. Squeeze out the excess water after half an hour and wash under tap water. 

Before making the curry the bitter gourd is deep-fried and then turned into a curry. 

Yield: 2-4

Author: Nammi

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Devilled Bittergourd

Prep time: 30 Min Cook time: 20 min Total time: 50 Min

Ingredients:

• 1 large bittergourd
• 1 tomato
• 3 tsp dried tuna bits
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2 green chillies, slit
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 10 curry leaves
• A little lime juice
• 2-3 tbsp oil plus oil for deep frying
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. First, clean the bitter gourd. Cut the ends, and then cut in half length-wise. Using a spoon scrap the seeds and as much white pith that you can manage. Slice into thin slices.
2. Add these sliced bitter gourds into a bowl, add ½ tsp of salt, massage it into the slices and then add warm water and let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Drain the water and then wash the bitter gourd slices in running water, squeezing it a little. Drain and pat dry on a clean kitchen towel. Place in a bowl and add turmeric and mix in.
4. Heat a saucepan or deep fryer with oil enough for deep frying. Once the oil is hot, add the bitter gourd slices and fry till lightly brown. Remove and drain in a colander or kitchen paper.
5. Heat a frying pan or wok with oil about 3 tbsp. Add onions and stir fry till it starts to change colour.
6. Add curry leaves, chillies, chilli powder, dried tuna, tomatoes and the fried bitter gourd. Stir fry till everything is well mixed and comes together. Have a little taste, add salt if needed. Squeeze a little lime juice. Stir fry for one more minute and then switch off.
7. This goes well as an accompaniment for rice and a curry like kirugarudhiya or dhon riha.

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