Stuffed Bitterguard stir fry பொதித்த பாகற்காய் வதக்கல்

Stuffed Bitterguard Stir fry

 பொதித்த பாகற்காய் வதக்கல் 

Ingredients:

Small size Bitterguard  (சிறிய பாகற்காய் ) - 8 to 10 Nos.

Potato ( உருளைகிழங்கு)  -  2 Nos.

Chili powder ( மிளகாய் தூள்)  - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder ( மஞ்சள் தூள்) - 1/2  tsp

Ginger( இஞ்சி) - 1 inch

Green chili ( பச்சை மிளகாய்) - 2 

Roasted peanut ( வறுத்த நிலக்கடலை) - 2 tsp

Tamarind - a small piece or Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp

( புளி சிறிதளவு அல்லது எலுமிச்சைபழம்)

Garam Masala Powder ( கரம் மசாலா தூள்)  - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste (தேவையான் அளவு உப்பு )  

Oil (எண்ணெய்) - 3 tbsp 

Slit the bitter guard lengthwise and remove the pith with the seeds. Wash well and soak in salt water for 10 minutes.

Mix chili powder, turmeric powder and salt, with little water to make a paste. Apply this paste to the bitter guard uniformly inside and out. Microwave for a minute. Turn the sides of the vegetable, repeat for another minute. 

Poke a few holes on to the potato using a fork. Microwave for 2 minutes. Let it cool. Peel and mash the potato. Add a teaspoon of garam masala and a little salt,  mix well.
Fine chop the ginger and chili. In a food processor dry grind the peanuts and tamarind to a coarse powder

Mix the ingredients to a uniform consistency. 

Stuff the bitter guard with the potato masala. Coat the outer skin with coconut oil or any cooking oil 

Grease a hot plate and spread the bitter guards. let it roast.

Turn over, sprinkle oil if needed. Roast uniformly and serve hot. 

My Notes:

Bitter guard is one of the favourite vegetables of my elder son. Probably he has taken the liking after me. It is not a vegetable commonly liked by people. I have had got hooked on to bitter guard from my mother. She used to cook the normal way, sliced bitter guard with onions, tomatoes and chili powder. I remember that only we both in our family prefer to eat this vegetable. One of my aunt, Lalli athai, cooks the same way but has a unique touch of flavour. She introduced me the way of mixing the stir fry bitter guard masala with hot steamed rice and eat. (Normally it is eaten as a side dish for sambar rice or curd rice.) It is a habit that I still do sometimes.

This recipe of stuffed bitter guard is an inspiration from a North Indian Restaurant a decade ago. I had twitted to suit our taste buds. A small piece of tamarind ( very less) or a teaspoonful of lemon juice balances the bitterness. The coarse peanuts give a crunchiness as you bite into it. These two ingredients were not there in the original dish that we had tasted at the restaurant. 

I have cooked this dish many times, but for the first time, I had cooked the potato in the oven, which was a success in the outcome of the dish. I have decided to cook potato this way for any stuffing using potato. The potato was crumbly yet smooth not too dry nor soupy. Potato is usually pressure cooked ( convenient) and most of the time the potato is soft and is soupy/starchy. So the stuffing masala may not be that perfect for stir fry. 

I have used a small portion of the tamarind. Lemon juice was not used. The choice is yours.

Amount of oil on the hotplate is also of personal preference. I have used the minimum quantity. For more crispy pieces, roast in medium flame with a generous portion of oil and longer time. 

My younger son made a twist with a piece of cheese inserted/covered the slit on the vegetable. So go wild with your imagination and enjoy this vegetable which is full of goodness.

Serve this dish with rice or chapathi.