Ingredients:

• 6 bitter gourds
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoons canola oil
• ½ cup red onion thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3-4 dried red chilies
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ½ cup chopped tomato
• ½ cup thick coconut milk
• ¼ cup coconut water
• 1 cup water
• ¾ teaspoon tamarind paste (more if needed)
• Salt to taste

 

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 425F
• Split bitter gourd lengthwise and remove the seeds
• Thinly slice them diagonally
• In a cookie sheet add bitter gourd and mix thoroughly with olive oil
• Bake for about one hour or until lightly browned and crisp
• In a saucepan add canola oil and add onion and garlic and sauté until they are golden.
• Add dried red chilies and sauté/fry for another one minute
• Add chopped tomato, salt, and red chili and cook until the mixture becomes to sauce consistency.  If needed add one  tablespoon at a time and cook until the tomatoes are cooked and sauce consistency
• Add bitter gourd, coconut milk, coconut water, water, tamarind paste and cover and cook for about 10 minutes.  If the curry becomes too dry, add a few tablespoons of water.
• Serve with rice

 

Coconut water is added to remove the bitterness of the gourd.  If coconut water is not available, just a bit of sugar (1/2 teaspoon) can be used.  But adding coconut water also gives a nice flavor compared to adding sugar.  Also amount of tamarind can be increased if you like the curry to be a little sour taste.  Adding more tamarind will remove the bitterness as well.