An Ode to ……….BITTER GOURD / KARELA ( KALARA in Odia) n KARELA RECIPE 1

An Ode to ……….BITTER GOURD [ KARELA   ( KALARA in Odia)]

Karela, though bitter in taste, is known to be an extremely healthy vegetable. Having karela juice every morning or at least two to three times intake of karela dishes a week, keeps many ills away! It is anti-diaebetic, cleanses blood, brings shine to skin, and so much more. But as it tastes bitter, mostly people do not like eating it and mothers have a tough time making their family eat these dishes, howsoever innovatively they may prepare the same. Of course, there are some who relish this bitter taste ( I know a few North Indians who really love karela.) – but they are truly numbered!  

Nevertheless, a little persuasion advocating the benefits, a bit of variation to the karela dishes and a special order of consumption can do the trick.

Benefits … I have already talked about.

Variety of preparation ….. please try out the different recipes I am going to share and I believe, these are very tasty to those who relish karela and palatable to those who hate the bitter taste, but have to eat for health reasons.

Easy way of consumption( for those who hate karela)  …. Treat the karela dish as some kind of unavoidable medicine and eat it FIRST  with a little bit of plain rice, in 3 to 4 gulps.  The bitterness that lingers on as you finish the dish can  further get over with eating of a little more of plain rice and a bit of some other dish(es).  This way, you are done with your karela quota and now you are ready to enjoy your main course with other items on the platter!!  If you choose to eat karela at the end of your meal or along with your meal, everything would taste bitter and you would spoil your taste buds for the entire meal.  So, be done with karela first. Of course, choice is always yours – what matters is, you must have karela regularly.

Recipe 1 :  

Karela Aloo Chips

Chop karela ( 1-2 tender, long variety) into thin rings. Wash one large aloo ( potato) with jacket(skin) under running water and slice thin first and then chop through the slices first lengthwise in the middle, then breadthwise in the middle to have 4 quarters of each slice. Wash karela and aloo, drain out water well and transfer to a bowl. Add 1 tbsp rice atta ( chaula chuna), 2-3 tbsp besan, salt, haldi, ½ tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp curry powder/sambhar masala/dhania powder, 1/2 tsp aamchur, grated garlic( 1-2 healthy cloves), a few drops of vinegar and a few drops of oil. Mix up. May spinkle a few drops of water, only if needed for the pieces to get nicely coated with masala(spices). Let the mix be a bit dry and tight.

Heat ½ cup refined oil in a deep bottomed small frying pan( kadai) and deep fry the karela-aloo mix in 2-3 batches on high to medium flame till brown and crispy.

May flavour with a dash of black salt and pepper( optional).Serve hot and crispy as a side dish with rice and other accompaniments.   

Tip : when you have to keep the mix ready for frying after sometime, add rice atta just before deep-frying. That way, excess moisture, if any released by the mix in the meanwhile, gets absorbed.

Well, this one is not high on a health quotient, but serves as a great side dish on a rice platter.

OAT AVATARS

I - SPICY OAT ( Simple )

Bored with eating oatmeal the same common way ? Cooked in milk, adding sugar/honey, nuts, raisin, dates etc.??
Try this out. You would love it, if you like the ready-to-cook instant noodles’ flavour. Got this idea from my daughter – improvised a bit.


2 serves
Boil together oatmeal (about 5- 6 tbsp ), about 2 cups water, salt to taste, 1 tbsp Ruchi Curry masala ( or any other brand) and ½ tsp Grihasti Chowmen masala ( if you have). Cook for 3-4 mins till oat is done.
Can it get any simpler?

You can add only peas and corn – makes a good combination.

II- SPICY OAT WITH VEGETABLES

Dry fry oatmeal lightly and keep aside.  Boil together enough water ( a little over 1 cup per 3 tbsp oat), vegetables ( peas, finely chopped carrot, beans, cauli flower ), chopped onion, chopped dhania patta( fresh coriander leaves), curry powder ( 1 tbsp per 3 -4 tbsp of oat), a bit of Grihasti Chowmein masala ( skip if you do not have- just add more curry masala) and salt to taste. Cook for 2-3 mins till vegetables are half done. Stir in the fried oatmeal and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve hot.

III- OAT UPMA
2 servings
Lightly dry fry 5-6 tbsp oatmeal and keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp refined oil. Crackle jeera. Add chopped onion ( one small), chopped ginger( 1 tsp), chopped green chilli ( to taste) and 7-8 curry leaves. Just give it a stir and add finely chopped vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, beans and peas. Lightly saute for a few seconds; add water ( 1 cup for 3 tbsp oat) and salt. Cook for 4-5 mins till vegetables are done. Add fried oats, 1 tsp pure ghee and cook for another 2 mins. Switch off and rest covered for a while. Serve hot.

IV- OAT KHICHDI
2 serves
Mix 2 tbsp curd to 5-6 tbsp of oatmeal or oat bran; add a little water and leave it to get soaked for 15-20 mins.
Finely chop cabbage, carrot, capsicum, beans and onion. Add green peas.

 Heat water in a kadai and boil the vegetables and chopped onion adding salt to taste.  When veggies are tender, but still a bit crunchy, stir in the soaked oat bran/oat meal.  Cook for a few more seconds till all water gets dried up, leaving the preparation just moist enough. Switch off gas. Add a spoon of pure ghee, chopped dhania patta and freshly crushed pepper and mix well.  A tasty, wholesome and healthy dish for breakfast.

V- SUJI-OAT PITHA

 Suji ( semolina) : oat meal or oat bran    =  2: 1 roughly  ( but any proportion with more suji &less oat will do)

Mix suji, oat, 1-2 tbsp curd, a few drops of olive oil ( or refined oil), salt, chopped spring onion( if available), chopped onion, chopped ginger, green chilli (a bit), pepper powder ( optional), chopped dhania patta and water.  Keep for 20-30 mins.   Adjust consistency by adding more water, as required to have a slightly thick, but spreadable, consistency of the mix.
Heat ½ tsp olive oil on a non-stick pan. Spread 1-2 small ladle-full of the mix like a pitha( pancake). Make slightly thick pitha ( and smaller rounds, otherwise it will be difficult to flip side) and sprinkle a few drops of olive oil on top side. Let it get fried on low fire – cover while frying, to let suji cook well. Flip side and fry on the other side. Serve hot with/without sauce/chutney.

VI- Oat – Palak Pitha ( Oat-Spinach Pancake)
 ( had learnt this from my sis-in-law; she is an awesome cook.)

Suji : oat meal or oat bran    =  2: 1 roughly  ( but any proportion will do)

Use olive oil for best taste; otherwise can use refined oil.
Mix suji, oat, 1-2 tbsp curd, water, a few drops of olive oil, salt, chopped palak( ( only leaf portion – each chopped into 2-3 pieces), sliced onion ( in generous quantity and a bit thick slice) and chopped green chilli ( just slit into two halves).  Keep for 20-30 mins.   Adjust consistency of the mix by adding more water, as required to have a slightly thick, but spreadable, consistency.

Heat ½ tsp olive oila on a non-stick pan. Spread 1-2 small ladle-full of the mix like a pitha( pancake). Make slightly thick pitha ( and smaller rounds, otherwise it will be difficult to flip side) and sprinkle a few drops of olive oil on top side. Let it get fried on low fire – cover while frying, to let suji cook well. Flip side and fry on the other side. Serve hot with/without sauce/chutney.

VII- OAT SAMBHAR

( My Spicy Oat with sambhar masala)

Boil together oatmeal (about 5- 6 tbsp ), 2-3 tbsp home made tomato puree ( i.e raw tomatoes ground in mixie),3 cups water, salt to taste and 1-1/2 tbsp Sambhar masala.. Half-way through, add chopped coriander leaves. Cook for 3-4 mins till oat is done and consistency is running semi solid. Really yummy with a slight tangy taste with flavour of South Indian sambhar(which most of you can not identify) and lovely aroma of fresh coriander leaves!  Enjoy !!

Welcome to my world of flavours and con-fusions:)

Recipes

Hey, I  lo..o..ve  cooking! and honestly, I find it one of the most creative acts under the sun.  Ever tried to count the mind-boggling varieties of cuisines made around the world out of  a limited number of ingredients! Just amazing!!

Be it health, wellness, bonding or celebration… the role of good, tasty and nutritious food can never be overemphasised. In this section, I will share my treasure of recipes, learnt from all possible sources, including my own adaptations, improvisations and  wild experimentations. Hope, you will try them out, eat and make others eat with love. Love is perhaps the most important ingredient in any recipe.

Yes, apart from flavours from all over my country and a few from foreign lands, this is also an endeavour to popularise some of the typical great recipes from my own state, Odisha – the land of Lord Jagannath- from the eastern part of India.

Welcome to my World of Flavours and Con-fusions  

NOTE: I am also uploading all these recipes in my website  www.snigdhamohanty.com  along with other miscellaneous post.