Gutti Kakarakaya | Andhra style stuffed Bitter gourd Recipe

Gutti Kakarakaya recipe with step by step photos.I have mentioned many times before that Bitter gourd is a favorite vegetable to TH and it is a norm to make a bitter gourd variety in any form atleast in one meal over the weekend.He likes the simple preparations like bitter gourd fry, bitter gourd onion curry where as I prefer to eat the stuffed versions as the bitterness can be balanced in the stuffed version. I had already posted a couple of stuffed bitter gourd recipes like Stuffed Karela with Besan, Stuffed Karela with Onion and today I am posting another version which is my mom's signature recipe.

Though I was never a fan of bitter gourd but always love my mom's Kakarakaya Podi and her version of stuffed bitter gourd which she fondly calls as 'Kakarakaya Biscuit'. I don't know why she gave it that name but even I got used to call this version as Kakarakaya biscuit.My mom's Kakarakaya podi is always a hit among my family and friends,whoever has tried it till date they just loved it and asked for extra helpings, it accompanies in my lunch quite often.

Check out other bitter gourd recipes in my blog:

• Bharwa Karela | Stuffed Bittergourd with Besan
• Kakarakaya Ullipaya Vepudu | Bittergourd Onion Fry
• Kakarakaya Nuvvu Pindi Kura/Bitter gourd Sesame Curry
• Kakarakaya Ullipaya Karam/Stuffed Bitter gourd
• Bittergourd(Kakarakaya) Podi

Here is how to make gutti kakarakaya recipe with step by step photos:

Gutti Kakarakaya | Andhra style stuffed Bittergourd Recipe:

Serves 2 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Total time: 45 mins

Cuisine: Andhra | Category: Main course-Dry Curry

Ingredients:

6-8 small Bitter gourds

1.5 tbsp Coriander seeds

1 tbsp Tamarind pulp

1/3 tsp Turmeric powder

1.5 tsp Red chili pwoder

1 tsp grated Jaggery

Salt

2-3 tbsp Oil,to fry

to roast and grind:

1.5 tbsp Chana dal

1.5 tbsp Urad dal

1/2" Cinnamon

3-4 Cloves

1/4 cup grated dry Coconut

1 Onion,sliced

5-6 Garlic pods

Method:

• Wash and trim the edges of the bitter gourds,peel them and make a cut vertically keeping the edges intact and scoop out the seeds.Peeling the skin is optional.

• Apply salt all over the bitter gourds inside and outside and leave it for 1-2 hours.You can even par boil them in tamarind water for 5-6 mins.Both the methods reduce the bitterness.
• Dry roast chana dal,urad dal along with cinnamon and cloves until the dals turn slightly red in color,remove them.

• In the same pan add dry coconut,sliced onion and garlic pods and fry for a couple of minutes.Cool them.

• Grind raw coriander seeds with the roasted dals, red chili powder, turmeric powder to a coarse powder.

• Add the roasted coconut,onion,garlic and tamarind pulp and jaggery and grind to a paste.

• Heat 1 tbsp oil and add the ground paste and fry nicely until the mixture is dry and starts leaving the oil at the edges.

• Stuff the slit bitter gourds with this mixture.

• Heat a wide pan and add 2 tbsp oil and place the bitter gourds with the stuffed side down and let them cook over low-medium flame until they are brown and roasted on all the sides.Keep turning them in between for even roasting.

Serve it hot with hot steamed rice.You can mix it with rice or eat as a side dish with dal/sambar/rasam.

Notes:

• You can stuff the fried mixture in small brinjals to make gutti vankaya or blanched dondakaya(tindora) to make gutti dondakaya or in ridge gourd roundels to make gutti beerakaya.All the versions taste yumm.
• I did not have dry coconut at that moment and hence I used grated fresh coconut.

Technorati Tags: gutti kakarakaya,stuffed bittergourd recipe,andhra style stuffed kakarakaya,stuffed kakarakaya recipe,koorina kakarakaya,side dish for rice and rotis,dry curries for rice,bitter gourd recipes,andhra recipes,south indian

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Bharwa Karela(with Besan) | Stuffed Bittergourd recipe | Punjabi style Bharwan Karela

I have mentioned many times earlier in my posts that bitter gourd is a favorite vegetable to TH and it finds its place in our menu almost every week.He likes it in any form like fry, curry or stuffed version but I prefer mostly the stuffed version. I have already posted a south Indian version of stuffed bittergourd which tastes absolutely delicious with rice and also another stuffed bittergourd with onion masala(Kakarakaya Ullipaya Karam) and today I am posting a Punjabi style of Bharwa Karela with Besan. One can prepare the filling even with boiled and mashed aloo which also tastes good,I will post it some time later.These stuffed Bittergourds can be stored in refrigerator for upto 2 days.Also you can store the masala and use the same to stuff the big bajji mirch to prepare bharwa mirch the other day.

I somehow like the stuffed vegetable recipes and Bharwa mirch, Bharwa Bhindi, Bharwa Baingan, Bharwa Tendli and Bharwa Karela - all these dishes appear quite regularly at my place.Do not got by looks of this dish, take my words and try it and you agree that this is the best way to eat bitter gourd which is not even bitter.

Check out other stuffed vegetable recipes in my blog:

• Stuffed Karela - south Indian style
• Stuffed Mirch-Andhra Style
• Kakarakaya Ullipaya Karam/Stuffed Bitter gourd
• Dondakaya Ullipaya Karam | Stuffed Ivy Gourd
• Vankaya Kobbari Karam | Stuffed Brinjals with fresh Coconut
• Vankaya Ullipaya Karam/Stuffed Brinjal with Onion

Bharwa Karela | Stuffed Bitter gourd Recipe:

Serves 3-4 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Total time: 45 mins

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Side dish - Curry

Ingredients:

8-10 Small Bittergourds

1 cup Chickpea flour/Besan

1 Onion,finely chopped

1.5 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

1 tbsp Coriander powder

2 tsp Red chili powder

2 tsp Amchur powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala

Salt to taste

1 tsp Cumin seeds

3-4 tbsp Oil

Method:

• Wash and peel the bitter gourds and make a slit vertically on one side keeping the edges intact and scoop out the flesh and seeds and give a nice massage with salt internally and externally and place them in a box and sprinkle a bit of wheat flour and leave it in refrigerator overnight or for at least 2-3 hours.

• In a pan dry roast besan until it becomes aromatic and keep it aside.
• In a kadai heat 1.5 tbsp of oil and crackle cumin seeds and add ginger garlic paste and fry for half a minute.

• Add finely chopped onions and fry until they turn translucent.Add all the dry spices - red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, amchur powder and salt and fry for another minute.
• Add roasted besan to it and mix it nicely and let the mixture cool down a bit.
• Add coriander leaves and mix well.

• Drain the excess water from the bitter gourds and stuff them with the besan mixture nicely and tie each karela tightly with a thread so that the mixture gets sealed nicely.

• Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in a wide pan and place the stuffed karelas and fry them on low-medium flame until they turn brown on all the sides by turning them in between.
• While serving remove the tied threads from the karelas.

Serve them hot with rice/roti/paratha.

Notes:

1. As we remove the skin of the bitter gourd and massage it with salt and marinate it for long, the bitterness would almost go.But if you like you can keep the skin of the bitter gourd and also marinate for less time or avoid marinating it..
2. You can vary the quantity of spices as per your taste.
3. You can use the same masala to stuff the big bajji mirchi to prepare bharwa mirch.

Technorati Tags: stuffed bittergourd sabzi, bharwa karela, stuffed bittergourd with besan, karela ka launji, karela recipes, bittergourd recipes, punjabi style stuffed karela, north indian, side dish for rice, side dish for rotis

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Kakarakaya Ullipaya Vepudu | Karela Fry | Bittergourd Stir Fry

I have mentioned earlier that Bitter gourd is a favorite vegetable at my In-laws place and TH is a big fan of this vegetable that I end up making karela fry very often.While TH does not bother about the bitterness of karela,I cannot take so much bitterness and hence in order to reduce the bitterness I boil the bittergourd in tamarind water and also add a bit of sugar which helps in caramelization of onions and lends a slight sweet taste to bitter gourd.This fry is a must try for all those bitter gourd lovers and also for those who do not prefer it much. Now off to the recipe.

Kakarakaya Ullipaya Vepudu | Karela Fry | Bittergourd Stir Fry:

Serves 2

Prep time:5 mins | Cooking time:20 mins | Total time:25 mins

Category:Indian | Cuisine:Side dish

Ingredients:

4-5 Bitter gourds

1 large Onion,finely chopped

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Red chilli powder

1 tsp Sugar,optional

2-3 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Optional ingredients to reduce bitterness:

2 tbsp Tamarind pulp

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Salt

Method:

• Wash and wipe bitter gourds,slice them into thin rounds.Add some salt and turmeric powder to it and mix well,leave it aside for half an hour and squeeze the water from it and keep aside.
  optional step: If you want to reduce the bitterness of bitter gourd you can alternatively boil them in tamarind water by following this procedure.Mix tamarind pulp with salt,turmeric and enough water and let it boil and add the bitter gourd pieces and cook until soft.Drain the pieces and let them cool.This process helps in removing the bitterness of bitter gourd.
• Heat oil in a non stick pan and add bitter gourd slices and fry them on low flame for 8-10 mins until they turn sightly crisp.
• Add finely chopped onions and fry for 3-4 mins.Add a tsp of sugar and fry for another 2 mins.The addition of sugar helps in caramelization of onions and lends a sweet taste to bitter gourd.
• Add salt and chilli powder to it and fry for a minute.

Serve it hot with hot rice and ghee or as a side dish with sambar/rasam rice.

Notes:

1. You can add roasted sesame seed powder at the end, it adds nice taste to fry.
2. The addition of sugar is optional,but I recommend to use it.

Technorati Tags: south indian recipes, andhra recipes, stir fry ,karela recipes, bittergourd recipes, kakarakaya fry, easy side dishes

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Kakarakaya Ullipaya Karam | Stuffed Bittergourd with Spicy Onion mixture

I have mentioned many times in my earlier posts that bitter gourd is a favorite vegetable at my place.Though I like it only in few forms,the rest of the family likes it in any form.My most preferred choice with bitter gourd would be either Bittergourd podi or any stuffed Bittergourd, check out one version of stuffed bittergourd recipe here. It is fun to eat stuffed bitter gourds with rice,either you need to slightly mash the stuffed bitter gourds into the rice like a typical south Indian or take a bite of stuffed bitter gourd with a spoonful of plain rice.You can check out my similar recipe of Vankaya Ullipaya Karam here.

The version I am posting today is again one of my favorite preparations of bitter gourd which I learnt from my M-I-L.For the stuffing,the onions are ground with few spices to a very coarse bits and is fried in oil which is later stuffed into the fried bitter gourds.One can even deep fry the bitter gourds to reduce the bitterness in it,I don't dare to deep fry on a regular basis and hence took an easy route of boiling and sauteing it which reduces the bitterness by at least 70-80% which is manageable to eat.The sweet and spicy onion mixture takes this stuffed bitter gourd to another level as the mixture complements the slight hint of tangy and bitter taste from bittergourds(the tanginess you get from boiling the bittergourds in tamarind water).If you have a family member who loves bitter gourd,please prepare this for them and I am sure they would absolutely love it.Even if you are skeptical about eating bitter gourd start with this recipe and you will definitely start liking bitter gourd.
Kakarakaya Ullipaya Karam Recipe:
(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients:
4-5 long Bittergourds
3 large Onions,diced roughly
1/2 tsp thick Tamarind extract
1 tsp Red chili powder
a sprig of Curry leaves
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
Salt to taste
3-4 tbsp Oil

to boil Bittergourds:
1 tbsp Tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp grated Jaggery
Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and cut bitter gourds into 2 " length pieces and make a slit on one side lengthwise and remove the tough seeds using a knife.
• In a big pot bring water to a boil with added tbsp tamarind pulp,turmeric powder,salt and grated jaggery.Add cut bitter gourds and boil for 4-5 minutes until they are tender and firm to touch.Drain them and let them cool aside.This process helps in removing the bitterness from bitter gourd leaving a slight tangy taste to the bittergourd skin.
• Pulse diced onions with salt,tamarind extract and red chili powder in a whipper mode for 5 seconds a couple of times.The resultant mixture should be very chunky with onion bits here and there.This is an important step,so plase don't mess up here..we want a chunky mixture not the paste.
  
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai and crackle mustard seeds and add curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds.Add the pulsed onion mixture and fry well until the mixture is completely dry and cooked,it takes approximately 8-10 mins.Fry the mixture on medium flame and stir it in between and take care not to burn the mixture.Cool the mixture.
• Meanwhile in another wide and deep bottomed kadai heat 1 tbsp oil and add cooked and drained bitter gourds and fry for a couple of minutes.Cover it with a deep plate and pour half cup of water over it and cook the bitter gourds over medium flame for 7-8 minutes until they are cooked.Cool them.You can alternatively deep fry the bitter gourds for 2-3 minutes but I don't prefer this process for the amount of oil it consumes.It is left to your choice.
  
• Stuff the fried onion mixture in the fried bitter gourds and keep them aside.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in the same kadai(in which bitter gourds are fried) and place the bitter gourds carefully and fry over medium - high flame for 3-4 mins until the edges turn crisp and charred.
  

Serve them hot with hot steamed rice.
Notes:

1. The key taste in this stuffed bitter gourd curry is the fried onion mixture,so stuff as much onion mixture as you can.
2. The amount of oil is completely left to your choice as the addition of more makes the entire process fast,easy and tasty.I hardly used 1-2 tbsp oil in the entire process.You can see that my bitter gourds are bit more charred as I had used very little oil and cooked them for very long.Hence the more the oil,the easier and faster the process.
   
3. You can use the same stuffing for Tendli(dondakaya) and shallow fry it.It is again my personal favorite.
4. For a variation add 2-3 garlic pods while grinding the mixture,it gives a nice taste too.
   

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Bitter gourd Curry

Many of you would be knowing that bitter gourd is a favorite veggie at our home and of course not for me,it is favorite to everyone at my in laws place.This vegetable finds its place at least once in a week and especially during week end lunches.Most of the times I make fry out of it and I even opt for a quick,faster and a low cal version.Oven works best for me for making any of these vegetable fries with out consuming so much oil,it consumes hardly a tsp of oil.My husband can eat bitter gourd fry as a snack as he likes it very much,so most of the fry which I make will go into his plate and I just take a small portion to taste it.
Coming to this recipe I had adapted this version from one of my cook book's collection as I found the recipe simple and I know that bitter gourd and onion goes well with each other.The outcome was good and even I enjoyed it having with rice.If you are a bitter gourd lover you will definitely love it and even though if you are not you might start liking it,so better give a try.

Ingredients:
4-5 medium bitter gourds
2 big onions
a lemon size tamarind
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp grated jaggery
a sprig of curry leaves
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

To grind:
1 1/2 tbsp chana dal
4-5 red chillies
3 flakes of garlic
3-4 small onions
2 tbsp dry coconut,grated

Method:

• Chop bitter gourd into small cubes and add turmeric to it and leave it aside for half an hour.Squeeze the bitter gourd pieces and keep them aside.
• Extract tamarind pulp and dilute with enough water to cook bitter gourd pieces.
• Boil the thin tamarind water and add salt,turmeric and bitter gourd pieces to it and cook until soft.Strain the pieced and keep them aside.
• Mean while finely chop the onions and keep them aside.
• Heat a tsp of oil and and add bengal gram(chana dal),red chillies and fry well.Add dry grated coconut and fry again.
• At the end add garlic and shallots and fry for a minute and let the mixture cool down a bit.Add little water to it and grind to a smooth paste.
• Heat remaining oil in a pan and fry onions until light golden in color.Add curry leaves and cooked bitter gourd pieces and fry on a slow flame until it is slightly crispy and brown in color.
• Add ground paste,jaggery and salt and fry until the mixture dries up and coats the bitter gourd pieces properly.

Serve it hot with hot piping rice,dal,rasam and papad.

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Kakarakaya Podi / Bittergourd Powder

After my sweet post now comes my bitter post because 'BITTER' is 'BETTER'...ha ha..
I have mentioned in my earlier posts that Bittergourd is the most favorite vegetable for my husband and is also a favorite vegetable at my in-laws place too.The way it is cooked in my in-laws place is quite different from my mom's place as in my in-laws place they don't bother to remove the bitterness as they all like the bitter taste of it but it is not the same with me.I can eat bittergourd only if it is cooked in such a way that its bitterness is removed.My mom cooks the bittergourd in such a way that no one could ever say 'NO' to that 'bitter' Bittergourd being it in the form of fry,stew,curry or this podi. Bittergourd powder is one such classic preparation by my mom that it is loved by everyone and I am sure that even a non-bittergourd lover will definitely like it without any doubt.This is a perfect balanced powder where the bitterness of the bittergourd is reduced and is balanced with the sweetness of onions and dry coconut and fiery hot red chillies.It tastes best when mixed with hot rice and sesame oil and biting into the raw onions......hmmm...it tastes so yummy.
If you have a fussy eater at home for bitter gourd you can definitely try this one for them and if you are a bitter gourd lover this is definitely a treat for you.

Ingredients:
1/2 kg Bittergourd
4 big Onions,very finely chopped
1 heaped cup grated dry coconut
3 tbps curds
15 red chillies,fiery hot one's
a gooseberry sized tamarind
1/2 cup regular oil approximately
salt to taste

Method:

• Grate the bittergourds with a fine grater.Add salt and curds to it and mix well and leave it aside for 1 hr.Now squeeze the water completely from the bitter gourd and keep it aside.This step is mandatory in order to ease the process of frying the bittergourd and storing the powder,it will also remove 60-70% of the bitterness.If you still want to remove more bitterness wash the squeezed bitter gourd and squeeze the water again.Take care that no water should be present in the squeezed bitter gourd,repeat the process twice if needed.
• Tear the tamarind into small pieces and slightly dry roast the red chillies and tamarind for few seconds.This step is however optional if your red chillies are softer and tamarind is slightly damp.
• Now grind the red chillies,tamarind,dry coconut with salt to a slight coarse powder.
• In a thick bottomed kadai heat oil(1/2 cup approximately) add squeezed bitter gourd and fry on a very low flame until it is slight golden in color(75-80% done),it approximately takes 15-20 mins.This step is very important and it is to be on very low flame.
• Now add the very finely chopped onions to the bitter gourd and fry on a very low flame until the onions and bittergourd is deep golden in color.It takes for around 15 mins again.
• Add the ground spice mixture to it and mix well and keep stirring on low flame for 3-4 mins and remove it from the stove.
• Cool the powder completely and store it in air tight container.

Serve it with hot rice and a dollop of ghee or sesame oil and finely cut raw onions.I personally prefer to eat it with sesame oil and raw onion.

Note:

• It stays good outside for 20 days without any problem and if you keep it in refrigerator you can store it for 2-3 months.I hope that it would not last that longer if you are someone like us it should get over in less than a month.
• Updated:It is mandatory to squeeze the water from the bitter gourd in order to fry the bitter gourd crispier and helps in storing for long.Squeezing of water from bitter gourd is not just to remove the bitterness from it,it helps in quick frying,storage and even enhances the taste and it also helps in consuming less amount of oil.
• For a Vegan version add salt and turmeric powder to bitter gourd to remove the bitterness instead of curds in the recipe.
  

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Kaakarakaaya nuvvupindi koora /Bitter gourd sesame fry

As I mentioned earlier,bitter gourd is seen regularly at our place as hubby likes this vegetable a lot.I have not seen anyone who is crazy about this vegetable,he can eat any variety cooked with this vegetable for rice/roti or as a starter(yes..,u heard it correct..he likes thsi vegetable so much..).Even though I am not a big fan of this vegetable I keep on experimenting this vegetable especially for my husband.I saw the recipe in Mallika Badrinath's book and liked the idea of adding sesame powder to the vegetable and the end product was even liked by me as it was not at all bitter.The bitterness from the bitter gourd is reduced by prior cooking process marinating and cooking in tamarind mixture and the addition of sesame powder added extra taste to the curry which suits perfectly with rice.If you are a bitter gourd lover like my husband you can give a try just for change.This recipe is sitting in my drafts from so many months,thought of posting it as it perfectly suits for priya's own event which is calling for "cooking with seeds-sesame seeds".

Ingredients:
4-5 Bitter gourds
1 medium onion,finely chopped
1 tbsp Sesame seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup thin tamarind pulp
1 tbsp grated jaggery
1 tsp red chilli powder/sambar powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste


Method:

• Wash and wipe bitter gourds,cut it into half lengthwise and remove the seeds and slice into thin half moon pieces.Add some salt and turmeric powder to it and mix well,leave it aside for half an hour and squeeze the water from it and keep aside.
• Mix tamarind pulp with salt,turmeric and enough water and let it boil and add the bitter gourd pieces and cook until soft.Drain the pieces and let them cool.This process helps in removing the bitterness of bitter gourd.
• Dry roast sesame seeds until they bulges up,cool them and grind it to a fine powder.
• Heat oil in a pan and crackle mustard seeds,curry leaves and then onion and fry till transparent.
• Add dhania powder,chilli powder to it and fry for a minute.
• Add bitter gourd pieces to it and fry on high flame until it changes its color.Add salt,jaggery and fry again for a couple of minutes.
• Sprinkle sesame powder and mix well and remove from the stove.

Serve it hot with hot rice and ghee.

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Stuffed Karela(Bitter gourd) - Type1

Bitter gourd is a common medicinal food for diabetics.Very few people like this vegetable and my hubby is one among them.He is a very big fan of karela and so it is prepared atleast once a week at our place.He likes to eat it even with roti or even as a snack.I prepare so many stuffed variety recipes with bitter gourd and I have learnt this version from my mom and it is always liked by everyone.Even though you are not a karela lover,I am sure you will definitely like this version of karela as the bitterness of karela is reduced by prior cooking process.

Ingredients:

5-6 Bitter gourds(long or short)
1/4 cup thin tamarind pulp
1 tbsp jaggery
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp oil

for stuffing:

2 tbsp Chana dal
1 tbsp urad dal
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp pepper corns
2 tbsp besan(chickpea flour)
3-4 Laung
1/2" cinnamon
5-6 red chillies
2 pods of garlic
salt


Method:

• Wash and cut off corners and cut Bitter gourds into half (2" pieces) and scoop out the seeds from it.
• Boil water with tamarind pulp,salt,haldi and jaggery in a deep vessel and add bitter gourds to it and boil until soft,75% done.This process reduces the bitterness of the bitter gourds.
  
• Remove the bitter gourds from the mixture and run cold water over them and keep aside.
• In a pan heat a spoon of oil add chana dal,urad dal,coriander seeds,cumin seeds,pepper corns,Laung,cinnamon,red chillies until light golden brown in color.Cool it and grind it to a coarse powder by adding salt to it.Add garlic pods to it and grind again once.
• Dry roast besan and mix with the ground masala.Add a spoon of oil to the mixture just to make it wet which helps in easily stuffing the bitter gourds.
• Stuff the mixture in the bitter gourds tightly with the stuffing mixture.
• Heat a pan and add 2-3 tsp of oil and when the oil is hot place the bitter gourds carefully and fry it on medium flame for 8-10 mins until it is crispy and browned evenly.(you can even deep fry those stuffed bitter gourds in the oil to get better taste,but I prefer shallow fry method in order to cut the extra calories).
• Cut into rounds like I have shown or serve it as it is.
  

Serve it with hot rice and ghee.

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