Bitter Gourd Spicy Sweet Side (Karathe Sukke Recipe)
What would it take for you to love this spicy, sweet, bitter gourd side dish as much as I do? So flavourful & delish that it overpowers the bitterness from bitter gourd when made right. It has sweetness from jaggery, spice, tang, flavour from urad dal, coriander seeds, curry leaves used. Coconut used ties all the flavours together & combines it all well with bitter gourd pieces.
This dish tastes extra delish, lip smacking delicious, when you cook it for a few extra minutes to let the jaggery powder caramelise a little, let bitter gourd pieces bind together with the coconut masala.
Karathe sukke is usually made for death anniversary lunch (varshik & varshantik), in some homes for Ganesh Chaturthi (Chauthi) lunch. I'm guessing to balance out the sugar load from the feast had. Bitter gourds are said to have that power.
Ingredients:
- 1-2 Bitter gourd
- 1/2 cup grated coconut
- 2-3 tablespoons of jaggery powder
- 5-6 Red chillies
- 1/2 lemon sized tamarind
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- Salt for taste
For tempering
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1/4 teaspoon of mustard seeds
- 1 twig of curry leaves
Serves: 3-5
Preparation Method:
1. Wash bitter gourd, chop them into 2 halves. Remove seeds out. Thinly slice them.
How thin, how thick, how big slices is your choice really. Usually they're kept 1 inch in length, made into not too thin, not too thick slices.
2. Heat oil in a wok (kadai). Add in mustard seeds. When they splutter add in curry leaves.
3. Add in thinly sliced bitter gourd, salt, 1/2 cup of water, let it cook.
4. While it's cooking prepare the coconut masala.
5. When it's half cooked add jaggery powder to it. Jaggery powder is added later to ensure they cook through. Sometimes jaggery inhibits further cooking of vegetables.
To make the masala, fry coriander seeds, urad dal seeds in a tempering pan with few drops of oil until urad dal starts to brown.
6. Fry dried red chillies with or no oil for a minute so that they crispen up.
7. Once they cool down grind them along with grated coconut, tamarind into a coarse paste using as little water as possible.
8. Add the ground masala to the 3/4th cooked bitter gourds & mix well.
9. Use as little water as possible throughout. We want a dry dish in the end.
If at any stage you feel it's getting too dry, starting to touch bottom of the pan & still has some cooking to do, add water very little by little as & when needed.
10. Put off flame once the bitter gourds are cooked through & the rawness of the masala goes off.
11. If theres extra water present cook it for an extra minute if needed, you'll then get bitter gourds very nicely coated & infused with jaggery, flavourful coconut masala.
P.S:
1. Bitterness of this dish totally depends on the bitterness of bitter gourds. If they're less bitter then you'll have greater chances of everyone enjoying it happily.
2. Using extra jaggery helps when they're too bitter.
3. This dish tastes extra delish, lip smacking delicious, when you cook it for a few extra minutes to let the jaggery powder caramelise a little, let bitter gourd pieces bind together with the coconut masala. In Konkani we say "attoka".
4. In all you need a great masala to add flavour to the dish, enough spice, tang, sweetness to overpower the bitterness from bitter gourds.
Let me know if you succeeded in making everyone enjoy karathe sukke.
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