The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

Bitter gourd (karela in Hindi) is an acquired taste perhaps – most people don’t relish its bitterness. One friend famously likes bitter gourd only in the form of bharwa karela (stuffed bitter gourd): she eats the filling and discards the shell.

I have never disliked bitter gourd; rarely will I put it through pre-cooking treatment to reduce its bitterness. Most of these steps make the karela lose not just bitterness but also nutrients. Still, if you must, here are a few tips to reduce the bitterness of bitter gourd:

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Have you had those triangle-shaped parathas with layers inside them and wondered how they got made? Wonder no more: in this post, I’ll show you how to make triangular parathas with step-by-step pictures.

The word "paratha" comes from the words parat (layer) and atta (flour). So parathas are literally layers of cooked flour.

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In olden days I’m told, the first test of the new Indian bride’s ability to cook was based on how she would make chapatis. Did she roll them round and even, cook them just right (no patches raw or charred), get them to fluff out beautifully? Could she roll out a chapati and watch the one on the stove at the same time?

The in-laws would scrutinize the final product, tear off a portion, bite and pass their verdict.

Those days of “judging” the bride are over (or so I hope!), but the fact remains that getting the chapati right is an instant indicator of the chef’s experience. Someone with a flair for cooking can possibly prepare any dish (like a curry) first time right – instructions and instinct guide them well – but one cannot make a perfect chapati until one has made several not-so-good ones before. Making chapatis is easy once you know how but it takes a few stumbles to get there.

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If you love French fries but avoid them for health’s sake, here’s a way to prepare them without deep frying. The result is spectacular!

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