Bitter Gourd Gojju: Add A Yummy Twist To This Humble Vegetable
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Bitter Gourd Gojju is a Kannada dish that can change your perception about the taste of bitter gourds to a great extent, and can even restore your belief in the numerous benefits of this veggie. In this gojju, the bitterness is firstly lessened by turmeric and salt mix and subdued with jaggery. 

Starting from enhancing the flavour of the bitter gourd with tamarind water to transforming the whole dish into a flavourful bowl with aromatic tempering and gujjina pudi, Bitter Gourd Gujju is certainly worth giving a chance.

The Kannada word ‘gojju’ means a kind of thick and spicy dish usually eaten with rice. It also means sweet spicy vegetables. Gojju is made using a variety of vegetables including okra, bitter gourd and capsicum. The preparation of gojju requires the addition of gojjina pudi, a special spice mix of Karnataka prepared with 8-10 ingredients including cumin, fenugreek, and mustard seeds.  

Bitter gourd is infamously known for its sharp piquant taste alongside the many health benefits. And what makes them so bitter? Blame it on the bioactive compounds, saponins and terpenoids which help in lowering blood sugar levels in people with diabetes besides being responsible for the bitterness. These benefits include its ability to lower inflammation in the body as it is loaded with polyphenols. The more the number of polyphenols in the bitter gourd, the higher the anti-inflammatory effects. 

Here’s the recipe for Bitter Gourd Gojju. 

Preparation time: 38 minutes

Cooking time: 18 minutes

Servings: 3

Ingredients:

  • 1 bitter gourd 
  • A lemon-sized tamarind 
  • 1½ tbsp jaggery 
  • 1 tbsp salt 
  • 2 tbsp gojju powder

For tempering:

  • 1 tbsp oil 
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp white lentils
  • 3 red chillies broken
  • A few curry leaves

Method:

  • Slice the bitter gourd, lengthwise into two halves, and remove the seeds from it completely.
  • Chop them into small and thin pieces.
  • Take them in a bowl, add turmeric and salt and mix well and leave it for 20 minutes.
  • After 20 minutes, the bitter gourds will release water, squeeze them, keep them aside and discard the water.
  • In a pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds, white lentils, chillies and curry leaves and let them splutter.
  • Add bitter gourd pieces to it and stir for 5-8 minutes. 
  • Then cover it and let it simmer for 5 minutes until they become crisp.
  • Remove the lid, and add tamarind juice of the tamarind soaked in water.
  • Add jaggery, salt, and water and cook it for 5 minutes.
  • Then add the Gojju powder to it and mix well.
  • Bring it to a boil and take it out in a bowl.