Karathe Sukke / Bitter-gourd side dish

This is a item in Konkani cuisine called Sukke meaning dry. We make Sukke of many different veggies and many have slight variations in themselves. I came to know about this Karathe Sukke in particular from my MIL. The first time she mentioned this name, I was kind of sceptical, since a dry dish of Karathe/Bittergourd, didn't quite appeal to me. But when I tasted it, I knew how wrong I was. So, here it is that I'm sharing it with you.



Ingredients

Karathe/Bittergourd, de-seeded, small dices - 2 cups. Add salt to the pieces and leave for about 6-8 hrs or overnight.
Fresh/Frozen grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Dry Red Byadagi Chillies - 3
Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp
Tamarind - 1 small piece
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Jaggery, grated - 1/2 tbsp
Chana Dal - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil

Method

- Wash and soak the Chana Dal in water for about 15 mins. Then boil it with enough water till it is soft but not broken or mushy. It should be cooked but still retain the shape. I microwaved the dal with water just above its level for about 7 minutes.
- Squeeze out any water from the salted bittergourd pieces and add to a hot pan with about 2 tsp of oil.
- On low heat, keep stirring once in a while till the pieces get evenly browned.
- Meanwhile, grind the coconut, chillies, coriander seeds, tamarind and turmeric powder with just enough water to make a paste. Need to be very fine paste.
- Add this paste to the cooked/browned bittergourd pieces and add the boiled chana dal and jaggery also. Adjust salt if needed.
- Cook till the ground paste leaves away the raw smell and the mixture is dry.
- Serve hot as a side with rice and dal/curry.

Note :

- You can cook the bittergourd either till it is dark brown and crispy or leave it lightly browned and just cooked. The browner it gets, the less bitter. Keep in mind that the quantity reduces to almost half upon browning.
- Even after the water content has gone from after adding the masala paste, keep stirring till the mixture becomes dry and gets a slightly roasted effect, taking care not to burn. That way it tastes better.

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