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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Bitter Gourd Curry / Hagalakai Gojju

Sometimes life tastes more bitterer than the bitter gourd! Dont you agree?? I have a reason to start this post with bitterness and pain in my heart as we lost a dear colleage at the office last week! It was an unexpected and untimely death of a fine human being! Life seems so uncertain, when unexpected things happen in our lives. Though hundreds of people are dying out there, every day due to various reasons, the reality bites in, only when we lose a person close to us and around us. The last time I felt like this was when I lost my own father seven years ago, leaving behind two young daughters and a little boy who didn't even understand what it feels like, after losing a father! Being a first born daughter in the family, I felt like I had a huge responsibility  on my shoulders and I was holding my sister and bro. so tightly thinking of the uncertain days ahead of us!! Hats off to my Mom who was brave and calm even in those uncertain days!! So thankful to God that he comforted us through kind hearted and godly people.

God has been extremely gracious to us and has guided us through out these years! It is very reassuring that once we die we don't have to go through the pain and sorrow that we face on this earth. Its better to be at the feet of God singing Halleluiah in heaven than suffer physical and emotional pain on earth. I am glad my father is at the right place now where there is no pain and suffering! My only regret is that he couldn't see his daughters get married and could not enjoy being with his grand children! Yes, birth and death are two things a person cannot have control on! The rights belong to only one, the Almighty God who is the Alpha and Omegha!

I dedicate this Bitter Gourd curry to the loss of our loved ones, as they leave us with this bitter taste in our hearts!  Just as life throws in moments of joy, pain and sorrow in order to live a complete life, Bitter Gaurd is also very essential in our diet to keep our body in good health !! This is one of my Mom's recipes and hope all of you will like it and make BG a part of your diet :)





Ingredients:
  • Tender Bitter Gourds 2-3
  • Onions finely chopped 2 
  • Mustered seeds 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves 10-12
  • Oil 2-3 tbsp
  • Red Chilli powder 2 tsp
  • Jeera powder 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
  • Jaggery - 2 tbsp
  • Tomatoes finely chopped 2
  • Tamarind pulp 2 tbsp

Method:
  1. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustered seeds and let it cracle. Add curry leaves and onions and saute until onions turn light brown.
  2. Add cleaned and chopped bitter gourd and turmeric powder and saute for 5 minutes.
  3. Add red chilli powder, jeera powder and mix. Add in tamarind pulp and mix well.
  4. Add finely chopped tomatoes, jaggery and salt to taste.
  5. Cook covered on medium flame for 8-10 minutes. Keep stiring in between and remove from flame once tomatoes become soft and the curry thickens
  6. Serve with chapati or rice and dhal as a side dish.
Note: You can alter the quantity of jaggery to suit your taste. Can also use sugar instead of jaggery! 
Do take good care of your precious families!


 

Leena JD

Points to Ponder:

"For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son (Jesus Christ), that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."                                                John 3:16 (NIV Bible)

"Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death."    
              Isaiah 57:2 (NIV Bible)

6 comments:

  1. very delicious and flavourful. You have a wonderful blog here.Glad to follow you.
    Do visit my new blog
    http://www.foodydelight.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. First time at ur space. Glad to follow u. Do visit my blog when you get time.
    http://lavanyasrecipes.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the follow Pranjali and Lavanya! will certainly visit you gals :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. im so sorry to hear about ur colleague & ur dad, this is such a beautifully written tribute to both :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was not a big fan of bitter gourd before but now I am loving it, nice recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  6. @ Deepti...thank you. I didn't have any mood to post anything but had to update my blog and was glad that the memories unfolded as I started penning it down!

    @ Raks thank you! Even I dont like bitter gourd much but this is the only dish that I eat when my mom prepares ;)

    ReplyDelete

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