Meetha karela aur teekhi roti

(serves 2)

Prep time: Overnight

Cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients 1 large bitter gourd, halved vertically with soft flesh scooped out 1 lemon, juiced 1/2 tsp minced ginger 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tbsp sesame seeds, soaked overnight 3 tbsp split bengal gram (chana dal), soaked overnight 2 tbsp peanuts, skins removed, soaked overnight 1 tsp red chilli powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1/2 tsp coriander powder 4 whole dry red chillies 200ml oil 3 medium-size onions, chopped 6 green chillies, thinly sliced vertically 2 tbsp tamarind pulp 2 tbsp jaggery, soaked in water salt Method: 1. Marinate bitter gourd in lemon juice and a little salt

for at least 5 hours. 2. Grind together ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, split bengal gram, peanuts, spice powders and whole red chillies with a little water to make a smooth paste. Set aside. 3. Heat 100ml oil in a frying pan and deep-fry onions on medium heat until golden brown and crispy. Drain and remove. Leave to cool, then crush. 4. In same pan, fry green chillies until they begin to turn white. Drain on absorbent paper. 5. Reheat oil and sauté ground paste with a little salt until it begins to turn brown. Add tamarind pulp, jaggery and a third of the fried onions. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. 6. Remove mixture from heat and spoon into one half of prepared bitter gourd shell. Place other half over it and secure with kitchen string, ensuring stuffing does not ooze out. 7. Heat remaining oil in frying pan and shallow-fry bitter gourd until cooked through, covering after about 5 minutes so that gourd cooks in its own steam. 8. Serve with turnip pickle and a spicy Indian flatbread.