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.
