Naveen loves bitter gourd so last time he went to get Vegetables, he bought home 2 kgs of bitter gourd!! he said he could see them in the Market after a very long time. I sat wondering what on earth can I do with so many. :-? My mum gave this amazing idea and when I executed it, the result was a surprise. Guess what? I could eat this chutney powder without anything to go with it. \:D/ It also tastes wonderful with hot rice and a dollop ghee, it was heavenly!
I have already listed all the health benefits of bitter gourd in my post for Stuffed Karela (Bitter gourd) curry. It does not hurt to list it again though, so here goes the list anyway.
* Bitter gourd juice purifies blood from the toxins and also helps to cure boils and itching on skin due to infections.
* It is a remedy for cholera in it's initial stages.
* Bitter gourd contains a compound that lower the blood sugar levels and hence the perfect vegetable for people with Diabetes. It improves the glucose tolerance without increasing Blood insulin levels.
* It also improves the stamina level of your body if consumed regularly in turn increasing your body's resistance against infections.
* Bitter gourd is also known to cure some respiratory disorders.
I have made chutney powder out of a kilogram of Bitter gourds. Please feel free to modify the recipe as per the quantity of bitter gourds you are using. The chutney powder tastes better if it is spicy but you can change the quantity of chillies as per your taste.
| Nutritional Information (Approx) (per serving) | |||
| Energy | 64 | Calories | |
| Fat | 6 | % | |
| Carbohydrates | 1 | % | |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 | % | |
| Sodium | 1 | % | |
| Vitamin A | 0 | % | |
| Vitamin C | 0 | % | |
| Calcium | 0 | % | |
| Iron | 0 | % | |
| Protein | 3 | Grams | |
| Sugar | 0 | Grams | |
| Ingredients | |
| Bitter Gourds | 1 Kilogram |
| Tamarind | 1 lemon size deseeded |
| Red chillies | 8 or more |
| Copra | 1 cup |
| Asafoetida/Hing | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Salt | to taste |
| Coconut Oil | 2 teaspoons |
* Deseed and grate the bitter gourds. You can chop them finely but I am not sure if the chutney powder will come out dry enough.
* Spread the grated bitter gourds on a plate lined with aluminium foil or just a plastic cover and keep it under the sun for at least an hour. The shortcut to this step is to bake without oil for an hour at 100 degrees. This step is done to decrease the moisture of the grated bitter gourds.
* You can skip this step if you are preparing less quantity that can be used in 2 or 3 days.
* Make small pieces of tamarind, heat a frying pan and fry tamarind pieces and let it cool. In the same frying pan, fry copra, red chillies and asafoetida.
* Let them cool and grind to a coarse powder.
* Heat the frying pan again, add the dried bitter gourd and fry till the aroma starts.
* Take off the heat and let the chutney powder cool.
* Transfer chutney powder to an air tight container and enjoy!
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