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MEALS THAT HEAL

Bitter is better

How about bitter gourd in mustard sauce? There's nothing better to get the digestive juices flowing

Plants and hard-shelled fruits of various species of Cucurbitaceae belong to the gourd family. The best-known are the bottle or calabash gourd (Lagenaria siceraira), the yellow-flowered ornamental gourd (Cucurbita pepe) and the bitter gourd.

Bitter gourd is rich in iron. Three different constituents of bitter gourd have been reported to have hypoglycemic (blood sugar lowering) action, which benefits people suffering from diabetes mellitus.

Two bitter gourd proteins have been shown to inhibit the AIDS virus and an as yet unidentified constituent may benefit people with psoriasis.

It has been recommended by the Department of Health of the Philippines, as one of the best herbal medicines for its ability to relieve liver problems.

It is an excellent natural remedy for common cold.

Bitter gourd preparations are always eaten at the start of a Bengali meal with plain boiled rice. Some of the traditional ways of cooking this vegetable in Bengal include deep-frying the slices, adding the vegetable to moong dal, combining it with mashed potato, and, the most famous of all, making a light stew of bitter gourd and other vegetables (shukto). Bitter gourd can be eaten in combination with other vegetables — stir-fried with potatoes or curried with eggplant and onions. When the gourd ripens, it turns orange and the seeds turn red. These can be grilled, mashed and eaten. Serving bitter foods at the beginning of a meal stimulates the digestive juices and it enables you to go through a sumptuous spread easily.

Now for a recipe.

Korola Shorshe

(Bitter gourd curried in mustard sauce)

Ingredients

Bitter gourd: 500 gm
Kala jeera seeds: 10 gm
Chopped green chilli: 10 gm
Mustard oil: 15 ml
Mustard seeds: 50 gm
Dried red chilli: 1
Lemon juice: 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method: Cut bitter gourd into small pieces. Heat mustard oil in a pan and fry kala jeera. Add chopped green chilli peppers. Next add the bitter gourd and fry. Blend with a little water mustard seeds, salt and dried red chilli to a smooth paste. Add this to the bitter gourd in the pan. Add salt to taste and lots of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Boil until the bitter gourd is cooked and most of the water has evaporated. Add a little mustard oil at the end. Enjoy with plain boiled rice as a starter.

Chef-in-charge, The Verandah, Taj Connemara

SUPARNA SAHA

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