Crispy bitter melon (or bitter gourd) stuffed with a spiced potato mash. Aside its numerous health benefits, bitter melon – an underappreciated vegetable with a blatantly bitter taste – is well worth exploring in terms of culinary potential.
1teaspoonginger-garlic pastemake your own, see recipe notes below
1/2teaspoonturmeric powder
1/2teaspooncoriander powder
1/4teaspooncumin powder
1long green chilichopped
1/4cupfrozen green peas
Salt to taste
Coriander leavespicked from stems
5 - 10long coriander stems with leaves removed
1/3cupchickpea flourbesan or gram flour, all-purpose flour is also good, for coating
Cooking oil for shallow pan frying
Instructions
Lightly scrape the outer skin of bitter gourd and make a slit along the length. Don’t cut into halves.
Scoop out the seeds.
Place all the bitter gourds in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Massage a couple of times then cover with water and let soak for about 20 minutes.
In the mean time, prepare the potato for stuffing. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a pan or skillet.
Add chopped onion and saute for about 2 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds then add the coriander powder and cumin. Saute a few minutes.
Add the potatoes followed by the turmeric powder.
Add a little salt and water. Stir and cover. Let cook on medium heat until potatoes are soft (about 12 – 15 minutes).
Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary.
Once potatoes are soft, mash them with the cooking spoon or a potato masher. Then add the chillies and green peas.
Cook for a few more minutes then add the coriander leaves.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, add the coriander stems in a saucepan and cover with some water. Bring the water to a boil for a couple of minutes. Remove the stems and place in a bowl of cold water to stop them from cooking any further. This process makes the stems more flexible so that they won’t snap when we tie them into a knot.
Wash the bitter gourd and stuff the potato filling into each bitter gourd carefully. Tie each bitter gourds with the coriander stems so that the filling doesn’t come out while frying.
Roll each bitter gourd in some chickpea flour. Coat it well and tap to remove the excess.
Heat a pan or skillet on medium-high temperature. Add a couple tablespoons of cooking oil. Pan-fry the stuffed bitter gourds while occasionally turning them on all the sides.
Keep turning the sides for even frying. Once crispy and golden brown, remove from the heat and drain on some absorbent paper. Serve as snack or with rice or roti and other side dishes like dal or curry.