Bharwan Karela (Stuffed bitter gourd/ Bitter melon)

I am sure a lot of us would have never eaten karela/ bitter gourd out of choice during childhood! Maybe even now!! :) But this is one preparation that will change your perception about karela. For some strange reason, I have always loved this vegetable. But stuffed variety a little more than the simple stir fry. The bitterness in this preparation reduces drastically, but if you are the kind who absolutely hates the idea of  even the slightest bitterness of karela, marinate it with one tablespoon lime juice and a teaspoon of salt for an hour. Squeeze out all the juice from karela and rinse under hot water. The karela would have transformed as if  straight out of a cosmetic surgeons clinic! 

Would recommend you to try this recipe without marinating the karela and use a little extra oil instead. All the bitterness will  be gone and you will see this 'generally hated' veggie called karela in a new light. :)

You need:

Karela – 2 (scrape the rough surface outside to smoothen it, this will help even browning)

Mustard Oil – 3 Tbsp

Onion seeds/ Nigella seeds/ Kalonji – ½ tsp

Onion – ½ medium size (thinly sliced)

Salt – to taste

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Ajwain/ Carrom seeds – ½ tsp

Fennel seed powder – ½ tsp

Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – ½ tsp

Aamchoor / Dry mango powder – 1 tsp

Red chili powder - ½ tsp

Besan/ Gram flour – 2 Tbsp

1. Slit the karela on one side so as to form a pocket to stuff the filling. Carefully remove all the seeds and flesh to form a hollow space. Don't discard the seeds and flesh as it will be used for preparing the stuffing.
2. In a non stick pan heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add onion seeds and ajwain. 
3. Once they splutter add onion, turmeric, coriander, red chili, fennel, cumin powder, aamchoor. Fry till onions become translucent.
4. Now add the besan and roast till the raw taste of besan is gone. This takes about 1-2 min on low flame. Transfer to another bowl since you don't want the besan to burn from the heat of the pan. 
5. Once the stuffing has cooled down adjust salt. It should be on slightly higher side as there is no salt in karela. 
6. Now stuff the karela with filling. Stuff as much as you can, however you should still be able to close the slit. 
7. Using a thread tie the karela all over so that the slit doesn't open and stuffing spills, when you fry them.
8. Heat oil in a non stick pan. Add karela and gently stir to coat oil evenly. Cover the lid and cook.  Intermittently stir gently to brown all sides evenly. 
9. When you see karela is dark brown on all sides uniformly and the skin as becomes soft, you will know its cooked well. 
10. Now cook the karela with lid open to make it a little crispy on all sides. 
11. Serve hot. 

*You can see the way I have used thread to tie the karela. Please follow the same style to avoid the masala spilling out while frying.