Stuffed Bitter Guard / Kakarakaya

Bitter guard, as is the name so is the taste, but if you cook it by adding proper ingredients it comes out to be very tasty. Bitter guard is very commonly available in India and it is very well known for its medicinal nature. It is said to be a remedy for stomach upset and also for people suffering from diabetes Bitter guard should be taken either once or twice month according to people in India. Today I’ll present here a recipe of bitter guard stuffed with chickpeas powder/besan.

Ingredients:

• Medium sized bitter guards: 6
• Chickpeas powder / gram flour/ besan: 3 teaspoons
• Jeera powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Corriander powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Chili powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt for taste
• Oil for frying

Preparation:

• Slit the bitter guards in the center vertically on the longer side. Wash and boil them in the microwave for 6 min on high or pressure cook for 2 whistles.
• In the mean while, fry the chickpeas powder/ besan in a frying pan. Add salt, corriander powder, jeera powder and fry it till it turns into light brown in color. Once you start smelling the aroma of the besan in the room then it is done. Now, add the red chilli powder
• Heat oil in a frying pan. While the oil is heating stuff the bitter guard with the fried besan mixture.
• Using a spoon pour very little heated oil over the stuffing. This will make the besan to stay in place.
• To the remaining oil in the pan, add the stuffed bitter guards/ kakarkaya. Fry them on medium heat until they turn brown, flipping them as needed.
• A delicious and healthy dish of bitter guard is ready to serve. You can enjoy this with plain rice.

Alterations:

• Water can be used instead of oil to hold the stuffing in place in the bitter guards.

Warnings:

• Do not cut the bitter guards completely. Just make a slit on one side to make a hollow space such that it holds the besan mixture.
• Do not stir the bitter guards while frying them; turn them to the side to be cooked.
• Make sure that the frying pan holds all the bitter guards flat on the bottom of the pan.
• Add the chilli powder according to your taste.