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Bitter is always better when it comes to giving a powerful boost to your health. Eating bitter-tasting foods like bitter gourd could help improve digestion, liver health, blood sugar levels and absorption of nutrients, claim many studies. According to recent research, the green-skinned vegetable also helps in slowing the progression of cancer. Perhaps, this is the reason your grandmother coaxes you to develop a liking for karela considering it's a powerhouse of so many nutrients and offers wonderful health benefits. So, if raw karela juice or bitter gourd stir fry do not work for you and make you nauseous, good news is that you can easily work on some delicious recipes that may turn you into a fan of this veggie. (Also read: Drink karela juice every day to manage diabetes, asthma and boost digestion)
Packed with polyphenols, antioxidants, flavonoids, bitter gourd helps fight inflammation and control sugar spikes. It has a variety of vitamins and minerals and thus it must be a mandatory addition to your daily diet.
"Momordica Charantia, commonly known as bitter gourd has various health benefits and is anti-diabetic, anti-ulcerogenic, anti-mutagenic, antioxidant, antitumor, anti-viral, immunomodulatory and also aids in weight and blood sugar management," says Vyuhitha Motupalli Executive Nutritionist Cloudnine Group of Hospitals , Electronic City, Bengaluru.
"Bitter gourd is known for its immunity building ability due to its several therapeutic functions. Usually because of its bitter taste it is most often ignored by many and especially by the children but it plays a key role in reducing blood sugar levels in children with type 1 diabetes and aids in weight control among the obese children and similarly with respect to adults. In lactating mothers, it helps in enhancing the breast milk supply due to its good water content and also as it contains Vitamin K, Lycopene and Phytochemicals etc," adds Motupalli.
Here are some delicious recipes to include bitter gourd in your regular diet:
1. Bitter gourd cutlets
Ingredients
Bitter gourd - 2
Grated carrot - 1/2 cups
Boiled and peeled potatoes - 2
Boiled green peas -2 tbs
Whole wheat bread slice - 2
Salt as required
Amchur powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Chopped pudina leaves - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Method
- Wash and slit the bitter gourd into halves and remove the seeds from it. Then grate the bitter gourd and take it in a bowl.
- Sprinkle salt to the grated bitter gourd and mix well and keep it aside for 5 minutes. Meanwhile take the grated carrot and mashed potatoes in a mixing bowl.
- After 5 minutes, squeeze out the water from grated bitter gourd and add that to the mixing bowl. To the bowl add green peas. Then add coriander powder, amchur powder, red chili powder, salt and mix well.
- Next, add chopped coriander leaves, whole wheat bread crumbles and mix everything well. Make balls out of the cutlet mixture.
- Heat a non-stick tawa, slightly flatten the balls, and place it in the tawa and sprinkle oil. Fry the cutlets in medium flame. Gently flip on the other side and fry them by adding some more oil. Gently remove them from the tawa.
Healthy and nutritious bitter gourd cutlets is ready; serve them with homemade chutney and enjoy.
2. Bittersweet delight
Ingredients
2 bitter gourd
2 green apple
1 cucumber
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 ice cubes
Salt to taste
Method
- Peel the skin, deseed the bitter gourd and scoop out white flesh from the bitter gourd with a spoon, leaving the green outer section. Cut it into cubes.
- Soak the cubes for few minutes in a bowl of water with salt or in lemon juice from half a lemon.
- Add the bitter gourd to a blender and add water, apple, cucumber and lemon into the blender.
- Strain the juice and blend it again with ice cubes and serve it cool.
- Healthy and refreshing bitter gourd green apple delight is ready to serve.
3. Bitter gourd parathas
Ingredients
For dough
Whole wheat flour - 1 ½ cup.
Flax seed powder - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water as required
1 tsp ghee/olive oil
For filling
1 medium sized bitter gourd- washed, peeled, finely chopped and mix with 1 tsp of salt
2 tbsp -mashed potatoes (optional)
Add salt to taste
¼ tsp - garam masala powder
1 tsp - cumin seeds
1-2 - green chilies finely chopped
1 tbsp - coriander powder
¼ tsp - turmeric powder
½ cup - onions finely chopped
½ tsp - ginger-garlic paste
Method
Bitter gourd filling preparation
- Squeeze the excess moisture and bitterness from the chopped, salted bitter gourd and keep aside
- Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, green chilies, onions, ginger-garlic paste.
- Fry till fragrant and golden brown. Add salt, turmeric, coriander, garam masala
- Now add the squeeze dried bitter gourd and continue to cook till the bitter gourd is cooked and add a tbsp of mashed potatoes for binding (optional)
Paratha Preparation
- Make the dough for parathas by mixing wheat flour, flax seed powder, oil, salt and water. Knead the dough to form smooth dough.
- Roll out small balls of dough into small circular rotis and sandwich the filling in between and roll out the paratha. Repeat this to make more parathas.
Roast on both sides on a tava with ghee and serve hot with cucumber mint raitha.
4. Bitter gourd celery soup
Ingredients
Bitter gourd - 3
Onions- 2 (medium)
Tomatoes - 2 (medium)
Celery- 1 medium
Roasted chana dal - 25 grams
Pepper powder - 2 tsp
Rock salt as required
Oil - 1 tbsp
Water as required
Coriander leaves
Method
- Cut bitter gourd, onions, and tomatoes into medium sized pieces and grind the roasted chana dal into powder.
- Heat oil in a pan, add bitter gourd, tomatoes, celery, onions and sauté for a while on a medium flame.
- Add powered chana dal to it, mix it well and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add required amount of water and boil the vegetables till soft, cover with a lid and now take out the veggies in a mixture jar, make it cool and grind the veggies.
- Strain it with a strainer, sprinkle some rock salt, pepper on the soup, garnish with coriander leaves
Enjoy the yummy bitter gourd hot soup!
