Karela Bhaji

With a peeler take off some amount of the external skin of the Kerala bhaji. Make sure you don’t take off too much. Now slit the karela lengthwise and deseed the vegetable. If you don’t want the dish to be too bitter add some salt to the cut vegetable and leave it in a colander. The vegetable will now start dripping water and after 10 minutes you can squeeze some more water out of the vegetable with your hand.

In a pan heat oil to smoking point and add the karela stirring constantly on high heat for two to three minutes minutes. If you don’t cook this on high heat the bhaji will start sweating and you will be left with a pool of gravy which you don’t want.

Now lower the heat and add to approximately four large Karela a, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, quarter teaspoon Haldi powder and half a teaspoon Jeera powder. At this point add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste. Stir all this constantly on a medium flame. You might have to add a little more oil to the pan.

Do not add salt the dish unless you have tasted it becuase you have already slated the vegetable earlier. Depending upon how crisp you want this vegetable you can continue cooking it on low fire for a longer period of time but stirring constantly.

Just before serving squeeze some lime on the Kerala Bhaji