Bitter gourd, also known as Karela is a boon in the modern times where swine flue and diabetes are rampant. 7 out of 10 people in today’s day and age suffer from diabetes. According to Ayurveda and naturopathy, Karela / bitter gourd is very helpful for curing or controlling both these diseases. It is also good for children. However, unfortunately because of its bitter taste not many people prefer eating bitter gourd. There are ways and means of converting this bitter vegetable into a tasty snack. Here’s one of them;
Ingredients:
- 200gms bitter gourd – Karela
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp red chilli power
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala or coriander powder
- ¼ tsp aamchur (mango)powder
- 1tbsp cooking oil for greasing dish and Karela
Method:
Cut the ends of the vegetable and wash it thoroughly. Make thin oval shaped slices. Add salt and stir it, gather and cover it, keep it aside for half an hour. Then mix it again and press the slices together in your hands to drain water from the vegetable. We can drink this water as it is very good for health and diabetes. By removing water the bitterness is also reduced.
Then spread the slices on a cloth under the fan for half an hour. Once it is dry, deep fry in a frying pan till the chips become brownish in colour.
Alternatively, the healthier option is to bake them in an Oven (OTG), keep the slices in a non stick plate, apply less oil with brush on the karela slices and then roast them in the oven on 200degrees F for 15 minutes or till it becomes brownish.
Remove into a serving plate and serve with some diet drink like herbal ice ginger tulsi tea.