1,000 Indian Recipes (163 page)

4.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the tomato, cilantro, and green chile pepper, cover the pan and cook until the squashes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the reserved spice mixture and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle the garam masala on top, and serve.

Baked Bitter Melon with Baby Red Potatoes

Karelae-Aalu ki Sabzi

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This eponymous vegetable, also called bitter gourd, is an acquired taste. But, balanced with rich potatoes and delicious spices, it is worth trying. You'll be surprised how good it is.

Bitter melons are long ovals with pointed ends and a naturally uneven, ridged, and bumpy skin. The smaller they are, the younger and less seedy. In Indian or Asian markets, look for a deep green color; yellowing is a sign of age, increased bitterness, and seeds. But, just in case you end up with the seedy ones, simply scrape off the white pith and seeds before you start cooking.

As a rule, bitter melons are first peeled, then salted and allowed to sweat, then washed to drain out all the bitter juices. I skip this step because the salting doesn't make it drastically sweeter and I prefer to retain the nutrients in the vegetable that would be lost. Also, I bake the bitter melons, as opposed to the customary deep-frying.

4 small baby red potatoes

8 to 10 small bitter melons (about 1
¹
⁄
₄
pounds total)

3 tablespoons mustard or vegetable oil

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 small onions, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 large clove fresh garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon mango powder

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground cumin

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 small tomatoes, cut into wedges

¹
⁄
₄
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1.
Boil the potatoes in water to cover until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, let cool, then cut into thin wedges. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Lightly grease a baking tray. Wash the bitter melons and cut them into
¹
⁄
₃
-inch-thick round slices. Add 1 teaspoon oil and the turmeric and toss with the bitter melon slices to mix well. Place on the baking tray in a single layer and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn over and reposition the slices on the tray for even cooking, and remove the pieces as they turn golden, after about 5 minutes.

2.
Heat the remaining oil in a large nonstick wok or skillet over medium-high heat and add the cumin and fennel seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the onion and cook, stirring, until medium brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

3.
To the pan, add the potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Mix in the baked bitter melons and the cooked onions, then add all the remaining spices and the salt. Cook over medium heat, turning gently, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.

4.
To the pan, add the tomato wedges and chopped cilantro and stir about 2 minutes. Add to the bitter melon platter as a garnish and serve.

Bitter Melon Stuffed with Mashed Potatoes

Aalu Bharae Karelae

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Here's another take on bitter melons with potatoes. We often cook them together because the natural sweetness and starchiness of potatoes helps to balance the bitterness of the squash.

Bitter or not, bitter melons are considered healthful and quite a delicacy, because bitter melons are highly regarded in
Ayurvedic
medicine. They are believed to help purify the blood and alleviate gout and rheumatism, and to be beneficial to diabetic patients because they contain a plant insulin, which helps lower the blood sugar.

Stuffed bitter melons are traditionally deep-fried, but pan-frying them gets them crispy and brown with a lot less oil. Save the scraped skin to make
Bitter Melon Skins with Onions and Potatoes
.

8 to 10 small bitter melons (about 1
¹
⁄
₄
pounds)

4 small russet (or any) potatoes (about 1 pound)

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds

1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger

¹
⁄
₄
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems + 2 tablespoons for garnish

1 teaspoon mango powder

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

3 to 4 tablespoons mustard or vegetable oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon coarsely ground fenugreek seeds

1 tablespoon ground coriander

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground asafoetida

1.
Wash and dry the bitter melons. With a vegetable peeler, lightly scrape off the ridged skin. Leaving about
¹
⁄
₂
-inch intact at both ends, make a long, deep lengthwise slit on one side, from the top down, to make a pocket. With a grapefruit or any other spoon, scoop out the white pulp and seeds. (If you'd like to reduce some of the bitterness, sprinkle the cut melons, inside and out, generously with salt. Set aside about 1 hour to marinate and sweat. Then wash out all the salt and wipe each one dry.)

2.
Boil the potatoes in water to cover until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, let cool, then peel and coarsely mash them. Then add green chile peppers, ginger, cilantro, mango powder, and salt, and mix.

3.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add the mustard and fenugreek seeds; they should splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so lower the heat and cover the pan until the spluttering subsides. Quickly add the coriander, red pepper flakes, and asafoetida, transfer to the potatoes, and mix well.

4.
Divide the potatoes into the same number of portions as you have bitter melons. Fill each bitter melon pocket with the potatoes. Bring the two cut sides together and tie each bitter melon with clean cotton (kitchen) string to ensure the filling does not fall out during cooking.

5.
Place in a nonstick skillet and drizzle the remaining oil over them. Cook, turning as needed, over medium-high heat about 5 minutes and then over medium-low, until they are crispy and brown on all sides, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. Cut off the threads or leave them for each guest to unravel. (This is fun when the setting is informal.) Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Variation:
Instead of potatoes, stuff the melons with
Punjabi Dry-Cooked Yellow Mung Beans
or
Basic Paneer Cheese Scramble
.

Bitter Melon Rounds with Coconut

Nariyal vaalae Karelae

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This is a typical south Indian treatment of bitter melons. The bitter melons are boiled in water before they are spiced up with the standard southern seasonings of coconut, mustard seeds, and asafoetida. The coconut lends a delicate sweetness, helping to balance their bitterness.

8 to 10 small bitter melons (about 1
¹
⁄
₄
pounds), trimmed and cut into
¹
⁄
₄
-inch rounds