In my last post ‘Doi Potol’, I have mentioned about the importance of ‘balance of taste’. The very dish ‘Doi Potol’ also combines and balances multiple tastes like savoury, sweet, sour and becomes a delicious gastronomical experience. However, one of the important taste the dish gives a miss is ‘bitter’.
And so is the case with majority of dishes across the world. As bitter is considered an acquired taste, you will find less number of people appreciating the taste day in day out. Probably this is the reason, although there are lot many who vouches for regular chocolates, but there are very few who appreciates the taste of true dark chocolates. May be this is the reason why everytime it becomes a nightmare, whenever we have to make our son gulp down the fever medicine. And this is why the dishes celebrating bitter as a taste are in minority.
But, like so many instances, this is one example, where the requirement of our body is little different, or I would say little beyond our pleasures, and there are many good reasons for which the taste bitter needs to be included in our diet. An important component of taste, the bitter is a necessary taste to be included in our diet to call it balanced. Bitter foods have a natural ability to cleanse and detoxify the liver, restoring this vital organ’s acid-alkali balance. Bitter foods have the ability to purify and bring chemical balance to the blood, thus, useful for supporting the body’s natural defence, irrespective of what the challenge may be. Food with naturally bitter taste also helps control insulin and hence is good for those suffering from diabetes. Hence, you can see often diabetics vouch for methi or fenugreek seeds-soaked water after they finish their morning walks.
Although still in minority if we compare dishes that taste bitter (primarily) to the dishes that focus on sweet or savoury, but the repertoire of Indian dishes focusing on bitter is not too limited. From Bharva Karela to South Indian Karela Fry to Bengali Korola Bhaja to Shukto to Neem Begun, to Karele Ka Achaar, we have plethora of ways to comprise bitter in our menu.
And since I am most accustomed to Bengali cuisine which is as strict in making one follow the course as the invigilator in an examination hall 😨, the first course that we begin with is bitter. Like majority of population in the world, I am also not a great fan of bitter. But throughout years I cannot say I had any distasteful meal because it included bitter. Rather I would say the following courses only became tastier after beginning with bitter.
My today’s recipe post is also a bitter dish common in Bengali households, which is ‘Bengali Style Crispy Korola Bhaja Or Crispy Bitter Melon Fry’. Surprisingly I learnt to cook and admire this dish from my father-in-law, for whom beginning lunch with ‘Bengali Style Crispy Korola Bhaja’ is as mandatory as having lunch.
So below is my take on the recipe.
Recipe: Bengali Style Crispy Korola Bhaja Or Crispy Bitter Melon Fry
Preparation Time: Around 8 minutes Cooking Time: Around 1 hour 26 minutes Equipment Used: Knife, chopping board, bowl, non-stick pan, spatula Yield: Serves 5-6 people
Ingredients:
- 2 bitter melons
- 2 tablespoon mustard oil
- 1 and ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Method:
- Clean the bitter melons and half them lengthwise after trimming both the ends
- Slice each pieces further into thin horizontal strips
- Heat a pan
- Add oil into the pan once the pan is hot and heat the oil
- As light smoke comes out from oil, add the bitter melon strips in the pan, followed by salt and turmeric powder
- Stir to mix and let the vegetables fry on low flame
- Although you don’t have to stand and stir continuously and can get on with other works, but stir occasionally for even frying till the bitter melon pieces become sufficiently crispy
Clean the bitter melon.
Trim both the ends.
Half them lengthwise.
Slice each pieces further into thin horizontal strips.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add the bitter melon strips in the pan, followed by salt and turmeric powder .
Stir and let the vegetables fry on low flame.
Stir occasionally till you get sufficiently crispy Korola Bhaja.
Tips:
- Heat the pan on low flame, in case you are using non-stick pan
- Fry the bitter melon on low flame without covering the pan, else the pieces will be too tender to be crispy
- The longer you keep the pan on fire, crispier it will become
- Yes, you can fry the bitter melon strips on higher flame for fast frying. But frying on low flame for long ensures crispness without the fear of pieces getting overcooked and burnt
