Skillet "Bitter Gourd/Bitter Melon" Fry

I am back. If you asked me what outlook I had on life this past dozen-days and if I was to sum up my feelings into one word, its "BITTER". As bitter as an uncooked Bitter Gourd/Bitter Melon if you ask me. But not to worry, just like how a bitter melon transforms into a mouthwatering dish after a bit of TLC, I will too-From Bleak to Better, that is! My 10-day antibiotics course got over yesterday and I feel much much better already. I am eating plenty of Yogurt and Yogurt-based dishes to re-introduce the good bacteria that the anti-biotics "inadvertently" killed from my system. Working out has resumed and things are falling back into place.

The one thing I am not looking forward to is cleaning the house. Yes, 2 weeks of slacking has compounded my chores and I have plenty of cleaning up to do. My house is a mess and that is not how I intend it to be when my In-laws arrive next week.  The next few months are going to be fun-filled and interesting. You may look forward to more traditional recipes that I plan on learning from MIL. Happy Happy is me. :). And I plan on teaching her a few recipes I learnt since the last time she visited, like this one. I usually cook my Bitter Melon with a bit of Jaggery(raw sugar) but this dish tastes yummy even without that. Thanks to Suja of Kitchen Corner for posting this wonderful recipe.My hubby and I have grown extremely fond of this curry that we have with Sambhar(Lentil and Vegetable Stew) and rice almost on a weekly basis.The original recipe was so good that I didn't have to change anything at all except omitting the coconut chunks. Yum! Read about the health benefits of this Vegetable here.

Ingredients:

• 6 Small Bitter Melon/Gourd
• 1 Tbsp Corn Starch or Rice Flour
• 1 large Yellow Onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 6-7 Green Chili, vertically slit without halving
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 Tsp Chili Powder or as needed
• 3-4 Tbsp Canola Oil
• Salt as needed
• A few grinds of Black Cracked Pepper

Procedure:

• Wash the Bitter melon thoroughly in cold water and pat dry.

• Thinly slice the bitter melon and take out the seeds.Add it to a bowl. Add the Corn starch, Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder to the chopped melon.

• Mix them all thoroughly and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

• Heat the oil in a pan and fry the melon with little salt for 5 minutes.

• Add the chopped onion and green chili and fry for an additional 5-6 minutes.

• Check for taste.Cracked pepper may be added if more heat is preferred.

• Serve this delicious curry with Sambhar or with White rice and Yogurt.

Note:

• True to its name this Vegetable is indeed "very very" bitter. So it really does need all the 4 Tbsp of oil, all the heat from the green chili, chili powder and cracked pepper plus the 10-12 minutes of frying to "offset" some of its bitterness. 
• Use a non-stick pan to really fry the melon. Frying it helps getting rid of some of the bitterness.

Enjoy!