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.