Ingredients

• 12 - bitter gourds (karelas)
• 1 tbsp - ginger paste
• 1 tbsp - garlic paste
• 1 tsp - turmeric powder
• Butter for basting and greasing
• Salt to taste
• For filling:
• 150g - paneer, grated
• 60g - groundnuts
• 1 tbsp - sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp - coconut
• 1 tsp - cumin seeds
• 1 - large onions
• 5 cm - ginger, julienned
• 1 cup - coriander powder
• 1 tsp - chilli powder
• 1 tbsp - jaggery, crushed
• Salt to taste
• For tempering:
• 3 tbsp - sesame oil
• 1 tsp - cumin seeds
• 1 tsp - mustard seeds
• 1 tsp - fenugreek seeds
• 15 to 18 - curry leaves

How to Make Dum Ka Karela

• Wash and slit the bitter gourds on one side.
• Remove the seeds and rub with salt.
• Arrange on a tray and tilt at an angle to drain bitter juices at least for an hour.
• Set aside the bitter gourds overnight, if you prefer them to be less bitter.
• Put enough water in a pan.
• Add salt, ginger paste, garlic paste, and turmeric powder.
• Stir and bring to a boil.
• Add the bitter gourds and blanch them until soft.
• Drain and keep aside.
• To prepare filling:
• Remove the brown skin and roughly chop the coconut.
• Dry-roast the coconut, groundnuts, sesame seeds, and cumin seeds in a frying pan until each emits its unique aroma.
• Hold the onions with tongs and roast them directly over the flame until the skin is charred.
• Cool, peel, and roughly chop the onions.
• Grind all these ingredients, except paneer, with 1 cup of water to a fine paste.
• Add paneer, ginger, jaggery, coriander powder, and chilli powder to the paste and mix well. To prepare tempering:
• Heat oil in a frying pan and season with cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds.
• Stir over medium heat until they begin to crackle.
• Add curry leaves and stir.
• Pour over the paste, mix well, and divide into 12 equal portions.
• Put a portion of the filling into each of the blanched bitter gourds.
• Arrange them in a greased roasting tray with the slit side on top. Cover with foil.
• Punch a few holes in the foil.
• Cook on dum in a preheated oven at 275 degree Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, basting at regular intervals.
• Remove and uncover.
• Serve with potatoes tempered with cumin seeds and buttered seasonal vegetables on the side.