Fried Karela Chips (Bitter Gourd)

Here's a vegetable that you might not find in your regular grocery store, but Asian and Indian markets usually stock them. They're very bitter unless you use salt to draw as much moisture from them as you can, then they're quite mild. Some people prefer the bitterness. These make a great snack or salad garnish and I've also seen karela in Indian potato curries and even stuffed. I've made them substituting regular white flour for the rice flour and they turned out great. More addictive than I expected. :oops: Time includes the 1-hour moisture-drawing process.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 3 -4  karela (bitter gourds)
• 2  teaspoons salt

• For the seasoning

• 2  tablespoons  rice flour
• 2  tablespoons besan flour (chickpea flour or gram flour)
• 1  teaspoon red chili powder (or more according to taste)

Directions

1. Slice each piece of bitter gourd into fairly thin half-moon shape. Transfer them to a colander and sprinkle the salt over. Shake the colander to distribute the salt evenly. Leave to rest for about an hour or so.
2. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the bitter gourd pieces and dry them on paper towels. Transfer to a Ziploc bag or a big bowl.
3. Mix the seasoning ingredients together and sprinkle over the pieces. Shake the bag or bowl so that the seasoning is distributed evenly over the pieces.
4. Heat the oil in a wok, and fry the bitter gourd pieces in batches to a crisp brown. Drain on paper towels and try not to eat them all like I just did.
5. Serve as an accompaniment with Indian rice dishes, or eat as a snack.