Karela Curry

• 2 tablespoons oil

• ▢ 250 grams bitter gourd or 5 small to mediums sized karela or 2 cups chopped karela

• ▢ 200 grams onions or 2 large onions or 1.5 cups thinly sliced onions

• ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)

• ▢ ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder

• ▢ salt as per taste

• ▢ ½ teaspoon Garam Masala

• ▢ ½ to 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder), add as required

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparation

• Rinse and then peel karela. Then chop in small pieces. 

• Remove the seeds while chopping. If the karela is small and tender, then these will have tender seeds and they cannot be removed. 

• If karela is very bitter, then add some salt on chopped karela pieces. Mix very well and allow this mixture to sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Then squeeze the karela and rinse them very well in water again. This will get rid of some bitterness from the karela.

Making karela sabji

• In a kadai or pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil. You can use any neutral flavored oil.

• Let the oil become hot. Then reduce the heat to a low and add the chopped karela.

• Mix chopped karela with oil and sauté on a low to medium-low flame. Stir often while sautéing.

• Sauté the karela for 4 to 5 minutes. 

• Then add thinly sliced onions.

• Mix the sliced onions with the karela.

• Sprinkle turmeric powder, kashmiri red chili powder and salt as per taste. Mix very well.

• On a low heat continue to sauté stirring often. Sprinkle some water if onion or karela starts sticking to pan. Mix and deglaze removing any bits stuck to the pan and continue to saute.

• Sauté the karela sabji for 10 to 12 minutes till the both the karela and onions are cooked. The onions will also become golden and caramelize by this time. Keep on stirring often. 

• When the onions have lightly caramelize and the bitter gourd pieces are tender and soft, sprinkle dry mango powder and garam masala. 

• Mix very well and then switch off the heat.

• Serve karela sabzi with phulka, paratha and a bowl of fresh plain curd or sweetened curd. This bitter gourd curry also goes very well as a side vegetable dish or accompaniment with the combination of dal rice or kadhi chawal. You can garnish with some coriander leaves if you want.

• It can be packed for lunch box with a side of paratha or roti.½

Ricotta Gnocchi

• 2 3/4 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese (about 1 1/2 pounds)

• 3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup), plus more for garnish

• 1 large egg

• 1 large egg yolk

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 4teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 10ounces), plus more for dusting

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for greasing

• 4 ounces pancetta, finely chopped (about 2/3 cup), divided

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

• 20 fresh sage leaves, divided

Directions

1. Place ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, egg, egg yolk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment; beat on medium speed until well combined, about 15 seconds. Decrease speed to low; gradually add flour, beating until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium, and beat until a soft and tacky dough forms, about 1 minute.

2. Turn dough out onto a heavily floured work surface, and shape into a disk using floured hands. Dust top of dough disk with flour, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until dough is pliable and soft to the touch, about 30 minutes.

3. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and dust with flour. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface, and cut into 4 even pieces. Roll each piece into a 3/4-inch-thick rope, about 22 inches long.

4. Cut each rope into 3/4-inch-long pieces (about 25 to 28 pieces per rope); transfer gnocchi to baking sheet.

5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium. Meanwhile, grease a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until they float to the surface, about 2 minutes. Once gnocchi float to the surface, continue boiling for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to greased baking sheet using a slotted spoon or spider.

6. Preheat oven to 200°F. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add half of the pancetta; cook, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and pancetta is starting to brown but not crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons butter; cook, stirring occasionally, until butter smells nutty and begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in 10 sage leaves; cook, stirring constantly, until leaves crisp, about 20 seconds.

7. Add half of the gnocchi to skillet; cook, undisturbed, until bottoms are browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip; cook until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 teaspoons lemon juice; season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Transfer gnocchi mixture to a large ovenproof platter using a slotted spoon; drizzle with 2 tablespoons butter mixture. Transfer to oven to keep warm. Wipe skillet clean.

8. Repeat with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, remaining half of pancetta, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, remaining 10 sage leaves, remaining half of gnocchi, and remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano; serve warm.

Gobi Manchurian

For the Batter:

Corn Flour – ½ cup

Egg – 1

Maida – 1 cup

Ginger Garlic paste – 2 tsp

Soy Sauce - 1 tsp

Chilli Paste - 2 tsp

Salt

Pepper

For the Manchurian:

Cauliflower – 1/2, cut to separate florets

Oil – to deep fry

Oil - 2 tsp

Ginger – 1 pc, chopped

Garlic – 4 pod, chopped

Green Chilli – 2, chopped

Onion – 1, chopped

Capsicum – 1, chopped

Soy sauce -1/4 cup

Tomato Sauce - 1 tsp

Chilli Paste - 1 tsp

Red Pepper flakes – to taste

Rice Vinegar – 1 tsp

Vegetable Stock – ½ cup

Corn Starch – 1 tsp

Spring Onion – ½ cup, chopped

Make a smooth batter with Corn Flour, Egg, Maida, Ginger Garlic Paste, Soy Sauce, Chilli Paste, Salt, Pepper and required Water. Dip the Cauliflower in the batter and deep fry until golden.

Heat Oil in a skillet. Add Ginger, Garlic and Green Chilli. Sauté for 1 minute. Add Onion and Capsicum and sauté until Onions are translucent. Add Soy Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Chilli Paste, Red Pepper Flakes and Vinegar; cook for 1 minute. Add Vegetable Stock and bring to boil. Add Corn Starch dissolved in Water and allow the sauce to thicken. Finally add the fried Cauliflower along with Spring Onion and toss well.

Follow the Same recipe for Chicken Manchurian with 1 lb. boneless Chicken and 1 lb. Fish for Fish Manchurian.