The other recipe for today is also a bitter gourd recipe of my mother’s.

Bitter gourd fry

Time taken: 20 mins

Serves 1 or 2

Ingredients:

• Bitter gourd – ½ cup, chopped
• Carrot – ¼ cup, chopped
• Onion – ¼, chopped
• Green chilli – ½, chopped
• Capsicum or Malu miris – ½, chopped
• Tomato – ½, sliced
• Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
• Crushed chillies – ½ tsp
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig
• Low fat oil – 1 ½ tbsp
• Sugar – ½ tsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Add some salt to the bowl of chopped bitter gourd and carrot pieces and keep aside for about 5 mins.
2. Heat ½ tbsp oil in a pan and fry the fennel seeds.
3. Add the curry leaves as the seeds start to splutter and immediately add the chopped onions, green chilli and capsicum or malu miris.
4. Fry the onions and chillies for about 2 mins.
5. Add 1 tbsp of oil and the salted bitter gourd and carrot pieces.
6. Cook for about 10 mins, on low heat, stirring continuously.
7. Add the sliced tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.
8. Add ½ tsp of crushed chillies. Mix well and cook for a minute or two.
9. Just before removing from heat, add ½ tsp sugar and mix well.
10. Serve hot with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.