This Punjabi recipe would be called “Karela ki sabzi” in Urdu, sabji being the Persian loan word in Hindi for ‘vegetable’. Karela is the Hindi word for bitter melon, which looks quite different in India from the Chinese variety I know as Surinamese ‘sopropo’. I found these karela in Amsterdam in a small corner shop called Sara Supermarkt & Slagerij on Eerste Oosterparkstraat number 154.

For this recipe you cut the Kerala is small slices and remove the bitter inner core and seeds for each slice. Wash the slices in water and mix with salt. Let the salt remove some of the moist of the vegetable and drain well. Make sure the slices are dry before the next step.

For the frying proces I used a neutral oil. I reserved the mustard oil for the last part of this recipe. Fry until somewhat crispy. Set aside.

Slice a few onions or shallot and fry until fragrant. Set aside.

Now the flavours are introduced. Puree or grate a few, or one big, fresh tomatoes and set aside.

In mustard oil fry the following:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon fenugreek.

When the seeds start to splutter add the pureed tomato. Add 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, half a teaspoon of turmeric and 1 teaspoon amchur (mango seed powder). Mix well until the oil separates.

Add the fried karela, mix and add the fried onions. Adjust for salt. Cook for another 4 minutes.

Serve with chapati and a chutney, this garlic chutney is great. This recipe is a keeper. It’s just perfect for me. The taste is amazing.