Bitter Melon & Potato Stir Fry with Poppy Seeds (Aloo Karela Bhaji)
Remember all the groans & whines we came up with when we were forced to eat Karela/Bitter Melons when we were little? I have heard only of a handful of kids who eat this bitter vegetable without pulling a long sad face. I have found some ways (like this one), where the karela actually tastes not like karela. My kids (& my husband) do not whine when I make this stirfry. They Potatoes & the Karela are crispy, & has a nutty flavor.
“Momordica charantia is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown for edible fruit, which is among the most bitter of all vegetables….. The fruit is most often eaten green. Although it can also be eaten when it has started to ripen and turn yellowish, it becomes more bitter as it ripens. The fully ripe fruit turns orange and mushy, is too bitter to eat, and splits into segments which curl back dramatically to expose seeds covered in bright red pulp.” (Wiki)
These come in various shapes & sizes & are widely consumed in the Indian Subcontinent & South East Asia. Bitter melons are used in various traditional medicine systems for a long time. Like most bitter-tasting foods, bitter melon stimulates digestion. It is also known to counteract Diabetes.
Well given all these qualities, I now understand why we were all forced to swallow few bites of this vegetable:-). It has become more of a comfort food for me now. This year I grew some in our backyard. (This is the only thing I could grow, becoz this was the only thing the rabbits would not eat. The cotton tails are definitely cute & our backyard is home to quite a few families…. & they devour about anything I plant).
Sending this to Grow your Own Hosted by Andrea.
The Bloom on the Fruit…..
I used 2 Greens & 1 Ripe Yellow.
Ingredients:
- 3 Karela – Quartered & chopped into small pieces
- 4 Medium Sized Potato – Peeled & cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 2 Red Dry Chillies
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1.5 tablespoons Poppy Seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
Heat Oil. Add the Cumin seeds/Jeera & the dry red chilly. When they start to sizzle, add the Karela/Bitter Melon, salt & turmeric.
Stir fry at high heat till they start getting slightly brown. Add the cubed potatoes. Toss for the oil & spice to coat the cubes. Cover & cook at low heat till the potatoes are almost done.
Uncover & stir fry at high heat till the potatoes & bitter melon is cooked through & are brown. Add the poppy seeds and fry for about 5 more minutes.
Its ready to serve…
Serve with Hot white rice, & dal.
Tags: aloo, bitter melon, Cumin, garden, karela, khus, medicinal properties, poppy seeds, potato, side dish, stir fry, vegan, vegetarian
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:19 am
Oh i love that secong pic, so beautiful.
I fon’t like this veggie. My mom used to always tell us eat this eat this , they are so good and we kids hated the veggie
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:29 am
what a lovely combo.. i love bitter melons.. never tried to mix them with potatoes.
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:44 am
New combination to me. Looks yummy. Both are my favourites.
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:59 am
Oh this is lovely curry…looks very nice…bookmarked!!
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Amazing photo !! You are a great photographer !
I love this recipie ! This will go perfect with hot rice !
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Did u throw some seeds or brought a plant from nursery? Beautiful bittergourd plant, love the combo curry!
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Never tried this combo, I’ve started enjoying karela only a few years back. I either make chips in the oven or make a thick curry with jaggery. Potatoes sound interesting!
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:16 pm
What a pretty color! Red seeds are just amazing, does that mean the melon is ripe?
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Wow this also new to me. I have never had karelas with poppy seeds. Nice to know that u grow vegetables on ur garden.
Thanks for sharing a new recipe.
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:05 pm
lovely combo soma , curry looks very deleciousss
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:13 pm
a different combo..good one..
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Very informative! I’ve never tasted bitter melon, so don’t have an idea what it’s like. Your dish looks and sounds fantastic, thanks so much for sharing with Grow Your Own.
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Nice pics Soma. I have never made this dish … nijer baganer sobjir mojai alada.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:31 am
Delicious, quite a different combo…curry looks fabulous Soma..i never tried karela with potatoes…bookmarked..
December 4th, 2008 at 5:49 am
I love karela but getting my husband and daughter to eat this is a different story.
Your version sounds delightful, and hopefully it won’t be bitter and they’ll like it.:)
December 4th, 2008 at 6:34 am
I’m going to try this one definitely. I have some bittergourd at home. What I do is sprinkle some salt and sugar on the gourds and keep it aside for sometime and drain the excess water. My grandmother used to cook the bitter gourd in tamarind water and pour the water down. This also reduces the bitterness.
December 4th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Beautiful pictures. We love bitter gourd at home and potatoes too. Unique combination.
December 4th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Thanks all of u!!
That was unanimous agreement about the combination of karela and aloo
It is so common for me ( i practically grew up having this atleast once a week, and i make this ever so often now), that it never occured that this combination is unheard of.
I have heard about different ways to get rid of the bitterness, but i was always told that the draining of the bitterness drains the good qualities with it:-) so i just let them stay bitter.
December 4th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I must try this recipe. My experience is the riper the bitter melon (ku gua), the less bitter.
December 4th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Thnks for stopping by Soma. Its always my plesaure.
And I was just thinking we should start a Shrimp Lovers’ clunb…lol.
BTW Karela is my fav veg. Nice dish.
December 5th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Awesome curry Soma. I made it just now and it tastes so good. I’m pretty sure that my husband will also love it. Thanks for this interesting recipe.
December 5th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Thats a rare combo dear, I always liked bitter gourd…this recipe sounds interesting..
December 6th, 2008 at 12:51 am
Hi Soma, Thanks for visiting my blog. I’m so glad it led me to yours because you have some amazing looking dishes here. This aloo and karela stirfry looks so appetizing in your photo!
December 6th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Hellooooooo—-i belong to those FEW who won’t whine when served with karelas,i love them in any form,stir fried,stuffed,cooked with onions ,andhra style curried karelas,or simply in masala gravy.Now i found this awesome recipe to have my fav. in different way.Thanks for sharing !
September 19th, 2009 at 5:52 am
korola r eto chabi? korola chaka 2 keta bhaja – gorom gorom o khub bhalo
September 29th, 2009 at 5:53 am
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