Bitter Gourd And Potato Bhaji/Sabji In Air Fryer
Karela Aur Alu Ki Sabji, In Airfrier
Mamta Gupta
Bitter Gourd or Bitter melon or Karela is a popular vegetable in Indian. Not only is it cooked as a Bhaji/Sabji, it is made into chips, pickles and its juice is used for many Homeopathic remedies. Karela juice is excellent for diabetics, because it contains high doses of "plant insulin", as a skin tonic/ It is good for treating itching, rash, acne, boils, scabies, ringworm and psoriasis. For medicinal purpose, it is best to have juice of raw karela, which is not easy to drink, as it is extremely bitter.
I have adapted the basic Bitter Gourd Sabji for an air-frier, which takes minutes, compared to half an hour or more, cooking it on a low flame. You can add a sliced onion to it, if you wish. I have used frozen Karela slices, roughly equal to 1 large or 2 small karelas.
Serves 2-4 as a side dish.
Ingredients
1 cup bitter gourds or karela slices, frozen or fresh
About 1/2 cup chopped potatoes you can replace them with more bitter gourd or even sliced onions.
1 1/2-2 tbsp. mustard or cooking oil of choice. Muatard oil is a poluar cooking oil in northern and eastern India.
1 tsp. nigella (kalaunji) seeds or cumin seeds or Panch Pooran
1/2 tbsp. turmeric (huldi) powder
1 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
1 tsp. fennel (saunf) seeds, ground coarsely
Chilli powder to taste
Salt to taste
Juice of half a lemon. I chop up couple of lemon slices and add them.
Instructions
Place the karela and potato slices in a bowl.
Add everything else on top and mix.
Transfer to an air-fryer bowl and sprinkle 2 tbsp. water on top.
Cook on full for 5-6 minutes.
Check, stir well and cook again for about 3 minutes. You have to judge time according to the performance of your air-frier.
Transfer to a serving bowl.
Serve hot or at room temperature. This dish is eaten in smaller quantities, more like a pickle than a vegetable Bhaji. So make it as hot or as tart as you like.
