My next share to my Gujarati Summer Thali is Karela batata nu shaak. This is a simple yet rich dish. Serve hot with roti but it tastes best with ripe mango. I still don’t understand this combo but that’s how the Gujaratis love it. In Gujarat this is one of the most favourite Shaak (vegetble) to enjoy with mangoes in summer season, during which bitter gourd is also easily available.
They normally eat bitter gourd till the first rain fall. I heard there is a Gujarati rhyme to welcome the first rainfall, which goes like this….“Aav re varsad, dhebariyo parsad, uni uni rotli ne karela nu shak”. This means “Allow the rain to pour heavily and come serve the delicious bitter gourd with hot hot Phulka/Roti (Indian Flat bread)’. I still wonder why would one welcome the rains with karela nu shak. Could be because it is healthy and easy to digest. And also after a treacherous summer, the first rains have a tendency to give stomach upsets.
But today’s recipe is not just with Karela/bitter gourd, but also has potatoes. Karela batata nu shaak vegetable will be liked even by those who hate this karela, as the bitter taste does not dominate the vegetable….And who doesn’t love potatoes!!
A sneak peek on the health benefits of Karela/Bitter Gourd before diving into the recipe for Karela Batata nu shaak.
Bitter gourd or karela has so many health benefits that one must include this vegetable in diet. It helps in purification of blood and also bitter gourd is a boon for diabetics as it lowers the blood sugar level. The juice of bitter gourd is used in naturopathy to cure diabetes. It improves constipation and piles. It is also helpful in healing skin disorders. Bitter gourds are very low in calories but dense with precious nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, and B3, C, magnesium, folate, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, and has high dietary fibre. So it’s quite beneficial to have bitter gourd in diet in one or another form.
Whenever we shop at Indian store, I invariably pick up few bitter gourds. They have pretty short shelf life, so I have to use them up quickly. I usually end up making kakarakaya fry with it since we love that dish so much. Whenever I fry bitter gourd to make kakarakaya karam, I end up eating the fried pieces as it is, before even it gets into any dish.
Bitter gourds are deep fried or cured with salt to get rid of excessive bitterness. However, once you develop a taste for bitter and spicy dishes made with it, you can really enjoy its taste. I’m a super fan of Bitter gourd dishes. Not raw, but cooked ones. I think, no one will like it raw unless you mask its bitter taste some how. Karela Batata nu shaak is another addition to my repertoire of bitter gourd recipes. The combination of Bitter gourd and hot rotis is good for the tummy.
Off to the recipe for Karela Batata nu shaak!!
Step-by-Step process to make Karela Batata nu shaak:
You will need:
- Scrape the rough skin of the bitter gourd lightly (optional) and remove the seeds as show below. If the seeds are very tender, you can leave them on. Cut them into long thick strips.
- Mix 1 teaspoon salt to the bitter gourd pieces and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
- Similarly cut potatoes as long slices and add them into a bowl of water to prevent them from turning brown.
- After 15 minutes, squeeze out the excess liquid thus formed from the bitter gourd pieces and discard it.
These are all the spices you will need:
- Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and add cumin seeds.
- When the seeds crackle, add the asafoetida, turmeric powder and sauté on a medium heat for 30 seconds.
- Add the squeezed bitter gourd pieces and mix well. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Add the potato pieces, required salt and mix well.
- Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes.
- Stir occasionally and cook till the potatoes are cooked.
- Add chopped coriander, coarsely crushed cashews and sesame seeds.
- Mix well and cook over medium heat for more 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, sugar and dried mango powder.
- Mix well to incorporate all the spices to the vegetables and cook over medium heat for another 3 to 4 minutes. The raw smell of the added spices must disappear.
- Turn off the heat and serve hot garnished with coriander.
Serve Karela Batata nu shaak with roti and kadhi. You can also try it with rice !!
Karela Batata nu shaak | Bitter Gourd Curry recipe | Gujarati Karela Sabzi | Gujarati Cuisine
Ingredients
- 3 cups Bitter gourd pieces peeled and cut into long strip
- 1 cup potato thin long slices
- Salt to taste
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon Asafoetida
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ Cup finely chopped coriander
- ¼ Cup coarsely crushed cashews
- 3 Tablespoons Sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
- 2 teaspoons Sugar or Jaggery
- ½ teaspoon Amchur powder dry mango powder
- For garnish:
- 2 Tablespoons chopped coriander
Instructions
- Scrape the rough skin of the bitter gourd (optional) and remove the seeds as show below. Cut them into long thick strips.
- Mix 1 teaspoon salt to the bitter gourd pieces and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
- Similarly cut potatoes as long slices and add them into a bowl of water to prevent them from turning brown.
- After 15 minutes, squeeze out the excess liquid thus formed from the bitter gourd pieces and discard it.
- Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and add cumin seeds.
- When the seeds crackle, add the asafoetida, turmeric powder and sauté on a medium heat for 30 seconds.
- Add the squeezed bitter gourd pieces and mix well. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Add the potato pieces, required salt and mix well.
- Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes.
- Stir occasionally and cook till the potatoes are cooked.
- Add chopped coriander, coarsely crushed cashews and sesame seeds.
- Mix well and cook over medium heat for more 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Add the coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, sugar and dried mango powder.
- Mix well to incorporate all the spices to the vegetables and cook over medium heat for another 3 to 4 minutes. The raw smell of the added spices must disappear.
- Turn off the heat and serve hot garnished with coriander.
Notes
2. Adding sugar/jaggery to the curry gives nice taste. However it is optional and you can avoid or adjust to suit your taste.
3. Stir-fry over medium heat to get a crispy texture.
4. Addition of cashew and sesame seeds is also your personal choice. There are families who skip them.
This recipe is a part of the blog hop theme for this month “Gujarati Cuisine“ and also one of the recipes in my upcoming post on “Gujarati Summer Thali“.
So friends, do come back to check out the awesome spread from this cuisine.
Check out other Gujarati recipes from the culinary hoppers team:
- Poornima’s – Khandvi
- Piyali’s – Surti Locho recipe
- Shubha’s – Dal dhokli
- Anu’s – Cabbage muthia
- Shobana’s – Trevti dal
- Parvathy’s – Muthyias
- Vani’s – Sukhadi
- Jaya’s –Methi khakra & Mamra na ladoo
Many more to come…..STAY TUNED!!
Happy Cooking 🙂
Cheers!!
Padma.
