If you are looking for a Sri Lankan style diabetic recipes, add this bitter gourd recipe for your recipe list. However I used some oil for cooking bitter gourd. Therefore, this is not the healthiest recipe with bitter gourd.
Although this is not a very healthy recipe as I use oil to cook, still you can try this as a diabetic recipe. However I added some sugar to make it less bitter. This way is good for a side dish for a normal person. However, if you follow a diabetic diet, please remember to omit sugar in this recipe.
Here is the recipe for Bitter Gourd curry in Sri Lankan style.
Ingredients: (for 2-3 servings)
250g Bitter gourd
1 medium sized tomato sliced
½ medium sized onion sliced
1-2 dried red chilies
1-2 tsp chili powder
1 tbs Raw curry powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 inch Piece of cinnamon stick
Curry leaves
1 inch Piece of a pandan leaf (rampe)
2-3 tbspn cooking Oil
Thick coconut milk ½ cup
1 tspn sugar
Salt to taste
Method
Wash Bitter gourd. Slice and remove the ends. Then cut into half and slice the bitter gourd.
While slicing bitter gourd, add the sliced bitter gourd to a bowl of water with added salt.
Once all bitter gourd are sliced, wash the bitter gourd slices in saltish water and squeeze out the water. This is done to remove the bitterness. If you squeeze water properly, you are removing most of the bitter taste. But I would say, that is part of the nutrients of this vegetable although we do not like much bitter taste.
After slicing, mix all the spices listed above with bitter gourd and keep aside.
Then heat about 2-3 tbsp. oil in a pan.
When it is hot, add mustard seeds.
When it is popping out, add onion.
Once onions are tender, add, red chili, curry leaves and rampa accordingly.
Mix well and sauté for about 1 minute.
Add bitter gourd slices and mix well. Once bitter gourd look tender, add tomato into this and sauté till tomato cooked well.(becomes like a sauce/paste) Add little bit of water.
Once tomato is well cooked, mix well. Add a bit of water if it looks too dry. Cover & cook for 2-3 minutes. Usually the liquid in tomato paste is enough for cooking.
When bitter gourd slices are well coated with tomato paste, and bitter gourd is well cooked, add thick coconut milk.
Adjust salt to taste. Cook another 1-2 minutes while mixing the curry.
Add sugar as per taste.
Now, it is ready.
Serve with plain rice & Enjoy!!!
It is obvious, This curry is bit bitter. But we added tomato in this curry and added sour taste is perfect with the bitter taste.
8 comments
Nice curry using bittergourd, looks delicious.
Gosh!! its so inviting and with pandan leaf – I can imagine the scent.
lovely curry
Looks delicious and healthy curry
My mom loves bitter gourd as one of her diabetes friendly dishes – I will have to make this for her with those mustard and fenugreek seeds and minus the sugar! Thanks for sharing
I have tried cooking curry with various of vegetables, common one like okra, eggplant, cauliflower, cabbage, potato, carrot, but I have never thought of bitter gourd. I have to try this, it seems really good. 🙂
I have been looking out for a recipe for bitter gourd
This is it. Thanks for sharing
Swarna Wijeratne
Thank you for sharing this comment.I am glad that you like it.
-Amila