In San Francisco we always bought them in the Chinese stores. Here in Germany we get them at the local Sri Lankan store. An old family friend of my parents taught me how to cook these (or maybe I should put that correctly: her cook/maid taught me how to cook them!). She would always deep fry a whole bunch of them, put them in a jar for emergencies. They last quite a long time if you fry them long enough and your jar is air tight.
Without further adieu here is how to prepare them.
Ingredients:
4 | Bitter gourds (about 25 cm long) |
1 l | Oil |
2 | Onions |
2 | Tomatoes |
1/2 tsp. | Dill seeds |
1 sprig | Curry leaves |
1/4 tsp. | Turmeric |
2 tbsp. | Tomato ketchup |
1/2 tsp. | Salt |
Method:
The first step is to slice them as thinly as possible. If the seeds are hard then you can try and take them out. If they are soft enough to cut through then just save yourself some work and leave them in. Once they are fried you won't notice the seeds and I'm sure they must be just as healthy as the meat.
Heat your oil to around the same temperature you would to fry chips (fries) and deep fry the gourd until brown. Careful not to burn them but they should be pretty dark.
Add a teaspoon of oil into a wok and heat on high. Once the oil is hot add the onions, curry leaves and dill seeds and fry until the onions are soft. Then add the tomatoes and the turmeric and keep stirring! Once everything is a soggy mess you can add in the fried bitter gourd and mix everything up.
I like to add some ketchup at the end, a couple of tablespoons would do. Add some salt to taste then it is ready to go! Of course you can add chili powder at any time.
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