Chutney again!

Bitter Gourd / Karele ki Chutney 

Ingredients : 

• Bitter gourd/ Karela (small) - 2-3
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Red chillies - 2-3
• Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp + 2 tsp
• Jaggery - 1 tbsp + 2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Coconut - 1/4 cup, freshly grated

For seasoning

• Ghee / Oil - 1-2 tbsp (ghee works best for me)
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Chana dal - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Preparation:

1. Wash and chop roughly the bitter gourd lengthwise while removing all the seeds.
2. To the chopped bitter gourd add 1 tsp of turmeric and 1 tsp of salt mix and keep aside for 30 minutes. The bitter gourd would have......... , discard this water
3. With your hands squeeze the juice out of bitter gourd slices (This helps in reducing the bitter taste)
4. Blend together the bitter gourd, coconut, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, tamarind paste, red chillies and jaggery into a coarse paste by adding about 1/4 cup (or less) of water
5. In a pan take ghee for seasoning, add chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.
6. As the seasoning splutters, add in the bitter gourd paste and mix well
7. Add 2-3 tbsp of water and again mix well. Cook the mixture for 10-15 minutes on medium flame
8. The mixture should now have a nice, smooth semi solid consistency
9. This chutney is great with hot rice and ghee, dosa, idli and even rotis!