12-15Small Bitter Gourds4-5 Tender Long Bitter Gourds
½cupGram Flour/Besan
1Large Onion Finely Chopped
1teaspoonRed Chilli Powder
¼teaspoonTurmeric Powder
3-4tablespoonOilto fry
Salt as needed
Water as needed
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Instructions
Wash and pat dry 12-15 small bitter gourds. Cut off both the ends. Make a deep slit across and using a spoon or blunt knife, remove all the seeds from within. Be careful not to cut the bitter gourds in half.
Boil the prepared bitter gourds with enough salt and water on medium flame until they are tender. Remove from heat, drain off the water and let them cool down completely.
In a mixing bowl, add ½ cup gram flour/besan, 1 large onion finely chopped, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, salt as needed.
Mix well. The mixture would be lumpy.
Add few tablespoon of water to make it into a wet mixture. It should be tight.
Take a small amount of the stuffing prepared and fill it tightly into the bitter gourds. Repeat this with all the bitter gourds.
In a thick bottomed pan, heat 2 tablespoon oil for shallow frying. Fry these stuffed baby bitter gourds in batches of 4-5.
Cook on slow flame and keep turning the bitter gourds regularly to ensure all the sides are cooked.
When the stuffing looks crispy and the skin looks crispy/cooked, remove from heat. Repeat this with rest of the bitter gourds. Add extra 1-2 tablespoon oil if needed.
Serve hot with rice and ghee with a side of tomato pappu or charu.
Notes
Removing the seeds from the bitter gourds give enough space for the stuffing and most of the bitterness would be removed.
Instead of shallow frying, it can be deep fried for quick preparation. Adjust spices as per preference.
Cook on low heat for longer time to ensure the bitter gourd is cooked or else, it will char from outside while being raw on the inside.
Onions are optional, but I like the textural difference they give to the stuffing.