Here’s my twist on on a South Indian karela salad!
Instead of the simply fried karela this one has a light spicy tempura style batter with, slivers of red onion, a scatter of freshly chopped green chillies, sprinkle of fresh coriander, a dusting of red chilli powder, and a squeeze of lemon!
I chucked out the fresh chopped tomatoes. I don’t like it but by all means add it if you prefer.
That’s it! Toss and serve.
I eat this on its own. Its that good!
Korola, Uchche as its known in Bengal is enjoyed in many recipes. Often recipes require it to be salted, squeezed out to reduce the bitterness, washed, squeezed again and cooked. I say why?
If you don’t like the bitterness then don’t bother. It’s like getting rid of the lemon juice to eat the lemon rind…
I enjoy karela because of the bitterness. That’s how I roll! More about karela here Lets Talk about Indian Vegetables – and Tips
INGREDIENTS:
Fresh Ingredients:
Half red onion finely sliced.
1 red chilli chopped
3 small karela sliced
2 tbsp fresh coriander
Pinch of salt
Pinch of chilli powder
take a bowl and place a sieve on top in order to make the batter.
Add to your seive
1 cup of Self Raising flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Half a teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon of chili flakes
METHOD:
Sieve all the ingredients through to remove any lumps and then mix with very cold water slowly to make a nice smooth batter.
In another serving dish add the sliced red onion, fresh coriander, green chillies and mix.
Slice the kerala into rings and remove any hard seeds.
Add the sliced kerala to the batter and coat them well.
Heat a deep pan with vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, gently drop the karela slice by slice into the hot oil. Reduce temp.
Shallow fry on medium temperature. Stir frequently to ensure they cook through and crisp on both sides. Do not let them go too dark.
Remove with slotted spoon to drain on parchment.
Add the slices to the salad dish, sprinkle a pinch of salt, chilli powder, squeeze of lemon juice, toss and serve immediately to enjoy the contrasting crunch, tang, heat and bitter bursts of flavour and taste!
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