STUFFED KARELA

Ingredients

For the Marinate:

▪   5  karela

▪   1 tablespoon salt

▪   1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the Filling

▪   2 tablespoons oil

▪   1 teaspoon cumin seeds

▪   2 tablespoons peanuts crushed

▪   2 tablespoons gram flour

▪   2 tablespoons coriander powder

▪   1 tablespoon fennel seeds powder

▪   1 1/2 teaspoon salt

▪   1/2 teaspoon turmeric

▪   1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

▪   1 teaspoon garam masala

▪   1 1/2 tablespoon mango powder

▪   1 teaspoon sugar

For Cooking Step

▪   2 tablespoons of oil

▪   1/2 teaspoon salt

Also need some thread to wrap the filled karelas before cooking.

Method:

1.  Wash karelas thoroughly and using a knife, scrape the skin. Set the scrapes aside.
2.   Make a slit in the karelas length wise and remove the seeds.
3.  Add karelas and the skin scrapings to a bowl. Mix and sprinkle with salt and lemon juice. Let it marinate for at least 30 min.
4. Squeeze the karelas to remove all the marinade. Wash karelas twice with hot water and then squeeze out all the water.
5.  Separate the scrapings from the whole karelas.

Preparing the Filling:

1.  Heat the oil in a saucepan.
2.   Add the cumin seeds in oil. After the cumin seeds crack, add the karela scrapings and stir fry for about 2 minutes.
3. Add gram flour  and stir-fry for another minute.
4.  Add all the remaining dry spices coriander powder, fennel powder, turmeric, chili powder, crushed peanuts, garam masala and mango powder. Sauté for a minute and then turn off the heat.
5.   Stuff the split karelas with this spice mixture (there should be some spice mix remaining, which will be used later). Tie the karelas with a thread so that the stuffing does not come out while cooking.

Cooking the Stuffed karelas:

1.   Add 2 tablespoons of oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Spread the stuffed karelas in the pan and sprinkle with salt. Cover the pan and let it cook for about 2 minutes.
2. Turn the karelas over to the uncooked side and cook for about 1 minute. Repeat until all four sides of the karelas are cooked.
3. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water and the remaining spice mixture over the karelas. Cover the pan and let it cook for 2 more minutes.  Remove the lid to see if the karelas are tender. Gently turn them over a few more times, making sure they are covered with the spice mixture.
4. Remove the threads.
5.  Stuffed karela can be served hot or cold and can be refrigerated up to a week.