Karela and Black Channa Curry

Here is a recipe using Bitter Gourd (Karela). Bitter Gourd is considered good for a variety of ailments. This Curry has a sambhar taste and you could vary the Red Chilli, Tamarind, Jaggery spices based on your tolerance for the Karela bitterness.

Ingredients:

Karela/Bitter Gourd, deseeded and cut - 2 Cups (Approx. 3 Karelas)

Black Channa - 1.5 Cups

Channa Dal - 2 Tbsp

Red Chillies - 4

Toor Dal - 2 Tbsp

Coriander Seeds - 2 Tbsp

Hing/Asafoetida - a Pinch

Methi Seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Curry Leaves - 4 Leaves

Tomatoes, cut - 2

Tamarind Pulp - 2 Tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 Tsp

Jaggery - 1/5 Cup

Red Chillies - 4 (or per your taste)

Salt - per your taste

Oil - 3 Tbsp

Coconut, grated - 1/2 Cup

Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp

Pre-preparation:

Soak the Black Channa overnight and pressure cook it with 2 Cups of water - it takes about 10-15 minutes

Preparation:

Take a pan and add 1 Tsp Oil.

When the Oil gets hot, add Methi Seeds, Channa Dal and Red Chilli

Roast the above for a minute in medium heat

Then add Coriander seeds and roast it for a minutes

Finally add Toor Dal, Hing, Curry Leaves and roast the entire mixture till it turns reddish

Now, grind all the above roasted ingredients into a paste with cococut

Keep the Curry Masala aside

Take a deep bottomed pan and add 1 tbsp of Oil

When the Oil is hot, add the Mustard seeds

After the Mustard Seeds splutter, add the cut Karela and fry/cook for 10 minutes on medium heat

When the Karela is cooked, add the cut tomatoes and stir for 5 minutes

Now, add the cooked Black Channa, Haldi powder, Jaggery, Salt, Tamarind Pulp and the ground Curry Masala

Add 1/2 a cup of Water, the remaining Oil and cook till it becomes a thick gravy - it takes about 10 minutes

This can be eaten with plain white rice or Rotis

Notes:

We tried this with Green tomatoes. You could add Onions or other veggetables and with additional water, it will become very similar to a Karela Sambhar. This serves about 8-10 people. Serve with Ghee for an additional taste.