Bharwa karela/ stuffed bitter gourd

Eating bitter gourd or karela is not a routine for us but mom and dad loves it so much and i have learnt it from my mom over a period of time. Most of the time while doing grocery i am reluctant to take karela because of there huge size like a bottle gourd, but this time i saw these little cuties well packed in separate packet. The no of karelas in the packet were about 12 -15 but there size was quite small just the bite size So i could not resist and grabbed the packet as few were only left and people were amused to see such a small size of this veggie. Even i saw such a small size for the first time. Though later on i realised that peeling and stuffing such a small size of karela was a really tough task but had a sigh of relief when it was done. I would be discussing traditional stuffing which is mostly done in north India, though there can be a lot of creativity and n no of options for stuffing but this one is very popular. This is prepared mostly in summer season because it requires raw mango which is available in June and July. But in Bangalore i don't have to wait for summers, its almost same through out the year.
So lets see the ingredients used in this recipe:-

Stuffed karela

1. Karela/ bitter gourd
2. Raw mango 1
3. Large onion chopped 1
4. Green chili chopped 2-3
5. Dhania powder 1 tbsp
6. Jeera/ cumin seeds 1 tsp
7. Salt as per taste
8. Garam masala 1 tsp
9. Turmeric powder 1 tbsp
10. Asafoteda 1 tsp
11. Oil to fry

First of all peel the karela removing outer skin a bit, to reduce the bitterness one can apply little salt after peeling them as the bitterness is further reduced. After that make a slit through the centre longitudinally where filling is to be done.

For making the filling one needs to grate the raw mango, finely chopp the onion and green chili as shown below.

Then little frying of the filling is to be done for that take about 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and heat it. Then add jeera, asafoteda, dhania powder, chopped onion and  green chili, saute it till golden brown and finally add raw mango, salt, turmeric powder and garam masala. If one is planning to store it for longer time then fry the masala till it become brown in colour and if one is planning to consume it within a day or two then a little frying is ok. The masala which i have prepared is not very dark as i have not fried it for longer duration. There will be tangyness of raw mango in the masala.

Lastly cool the masala and fill all the karela with it, make sure that you don't over fill as the filling may come out while frying. Then take oil in a kadahi and heat it, once the oil is ready deep fry the karela's till they become brown in colour.

Finally they look like this. You can serve them with roti or parathas. For me they play role of a pickle as they are tangy and spicy. They can be stored for 4-5 days in refrigerator and consumed with any meal of the day.