Summer in India brings forth many memories of growing up years. A not too happy memory revolves around eating Uchhe Bhaja(Crispy Fried Bitter Gourd) and Neem Pata Bhaja with bhaat, as a first course for lunch. Ma was absoloutely insistent that we have some bitter fry every alternate day almost. No kid ever likes their greens, and when that green is bitter, that is a big pain for that kid. To think of it, now I pick up bitter gourds myself, when I am out vegetable shopping, and make that quite often, as a first course for weekend lunches.
How we change from our childhood years. Making and enjoying food, we somehow could not even tolerate as kids. Hubby has a similar story with bitter gourd, and even he asks for bitter gourd, if it has not been made for some time. His only point, is that the bitter gourd should be thinly sliced and crispy fried. The man feels, that bitter gourd loses some of its Bitter-ness when its crispy fried like this. I never thought of that. I just happen to like it, hence I make it for both of us. Today when I shared some pictures of Uchhe Bhaja, on my page, my blogger friend Progna, told me , that her husband also loves crispy fried Uchhe Bhaja and calls them ,"Uchhe Chips !" Now that is a catchy name for something as mundane as Uchhe. Need to keep this in mind if ever I plan to market my food professionally.
Uchhe as a vegetable has a tendency to get spoilt very easily. So if I pick up some Uchhe, and decide to make it after a few days, then I pack the Uchhe in a Ziplock bag, and freeze it. When I need to cook, I just take it out, and slice it thinly. There is no need to thaw it even. Go ahead and cook it as you like to cook it. Freezing Uchhe ensures that they stay fresh for a few more days. After slicing the Uchhe, marinate them with some salt and turmeric, and let them sit around for half an hour. The salt helps a lot in the thawing process. Before you fry the bitter gourd slices, ensure that you discard any liquid that may be accumulated in the bowl. My grandmother used to dunk these thinly sliced Uchhe, in some besan (chick-pea) batter and then fry them. They were simply delicious. But I have never brought myself to batter frying Uchhe. Maybe some day, I will do it, and let all of you know, how it turned out. As for now, I am happy with my Crispy Fried Bitter Gourd. Maybe Hubby is right, they somehow don't taste as bitter when you fry them so crispy. Uchhe Bhaja goes very well, with some Patla Mushur Daal(Red Lentil Soup), or by itself as a first course with some Gorom Bhaat. So here's to a slightly bitter appetizer or as my grandmom said, a palate cleanser, before
the main course !
UCHHE BHAJA: CRSIPY FRIED BITTER GOURD :
Ingredients:
Uchhe/Bitter Gourd: 2
Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
Salt
Canola Oil: for frying
Procedure:
Cut the Uchhe thinly/finely into small rounds. Coat them with turmeric powder and salt and let them rest for half an hour to an hour.
Squeeze out the liquid from the Uchhe pieces and discard it. Excess water in the veggies can lead to splutters in the hot oil. Meanwhile, add enough oil to a non stick pan to deep fry the Uchhe pieces, and heat the oil very well. You can also use a deep fryer if you have one. Add in the Uchhe pieces so that they do not crowd the pan totally. You might have to do two batches of frying. Fry the Uchhe pieces, till you can see them changing color,on both sides.
Using a slotted spoon, take out the fried Uchhe pieces onto a bowl lined iwth paper towel. Fry the next batch, if you have.
Serve hot with some Mushur Daal and some steamed Rice.
Bon Appetit !!
Uchhe as a vegetable has a tendency to get spoilt very easily. So if I pick up some Uchhe, and decide to make it after a few days, then I pack the Uchhe in a Ziplock bag, and freeze it. When I need to cook, I just take it out, and slice it thinly. There is no need to thaw it even. Go ahead and cook it as you like to cook it. Freezing Uchhe ensures that they stay fresh for a few more days. After slicing the Uchhe, marinate them with some salt and turmeric, and let them sit around for half an hour. The salt helps a lot in the thawing process. Before you fry the bitter gourd slices, ensure that you discard any liquid that may be accumulated in the bowl. My grandmother used to dunk these thinly sliced Uchhe, in some besan (chick-pea) batter and then fry them. They were simply delicious. But I have never brought myself to batter frying Uchhe. Maybe some day, I will do it, and let all of you know, how it turned out. As for now, I am happy with my Crispy Fried Bitter Gourd. Maybe Hubby is right, they somehow don't taste as bitter when you fry them so crispy. Uchhe Bhaja goes very well, with some Patla Mushur Daal(Red Lentil Soup), or by itself as a first course with some Gorom Bhaat. So here's to a slightly bitter appetizer or as my grandmom said, a palate cleanser, before
the main course !
UCHHE BHAJA: CRSIPY FRIED BITTER GOURD :
Ingredients:
Uchhe/Bitter Gourd: 2
Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
Salt
Canola Oil: for frying
Procedure:
Cut the Uchhe thinly/finely into small rounds. Coat them with turmeric powder and salt and let them rest for half an hour to an hour.
Squeeze out the liquid from the Uchhe pieces and discard it. Excess water in the veggies can lead to splutters in the hot oil. Meanwhile, add enough oil to a non stick pan to deep fry the Uchhe pieces, and heat the oil very well. You can also use a deep fryer if you have one. Add in the Uchhe pieces so that they do not crowd the pan totally. You might have to do two batches of frying. Fry the Uchhe pieces, till you can see them changing color,on both sides.
Using a slotted spoon, take out the fried Uchhe pieces onto a bowl lined iwth paper towel. Fry the next batch, if you have.
Serve hot with some Mushur Daal and some steamed Rice.
Bon Appetit !!
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