What is KARELLA? A BITTER GOURD or BITTER MELON

KARELLA or BITTER GOURD or BITTER MELON
Is it a cucumber? I asked naively, only to be told that it wasn’t. Well, what is it then? I really wanted to know the name of this vegetable in English, so that I knew a bit about what to expect from it. No one knew, and in the end I had to look it up on the net- to find the answer under someone else’s plaintive plea ‘What is Karella?’ What indeed! Luckily 2 people had answered the question, giving one of its names each. Ok, so now I know what it’s called. I’d eaten it by then, of course, and knew all about this bitter taste. Personally, I like it, but I could understand if you didn’t. It has a particularly bitter taste, unlike anything else I’ve eaten, and is one of those food items that is an acquired taste.
It would be good if you could acquire it, though, as recent medical studies have borne out the claims of traditional medical practitioners of the subcontinent; it helps diabetes sufferers. Although research is still continuing there are hopes that this bitter little vegetable will “probably” delay or “perhaps” prevent cancer, and studies are being conducted into it could help in the treatment of HIV.
In traditional medicine,(it grows in East Africa, Asia the Caribbean and South America) it is used to relieve fatigue, and the Chinese use it to quench their thirst.
You prepare this strange beast by slicing it in half lengthwise to remove its seeds, These can be dried, then ground to a powder and used to flavour Pakora (see recipe) and other dishes. Alternatively the oil from the seeds is good to put on wounds. Some people boil one whole and then drink the cooking water to lower blood pressure. (You boil one for about an hour.)
There’s a National Bitter Melon Council in the States- a fledgling organization at the present time, and you can find these in Asian shops in the UK. However, if their healing properties are proven, they will undoubtedly be stocked in the big supermarket chains.


TASTY TRADITIONAL KARELLA

Ingredients
1 kilo karella
½ kilo minced meat
4 onions chopped
4 tomatoes peeled and chopped
1 inch ginger finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
6 green chillies, finely chopped
½ handful mint leaves, shredded
½ handful coriander leaves, shredded
1 cup natural yoghurt
1 cup oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp garam masala (see recipes)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp ground pomegranate seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Method
Scrape the knobbly bits off the skin of the karella, so that it’s completely smooth. Cut the karella into 1 inch rounds and remove seeds with your thumb, by pushing them out, or a teaspoon.
Now rub all the pieces all over with salt inside and out, but take care not to break the circles of karella. Leave for 15-20 mins until all the bitter juices have come out. Wash them with cold water to remove salt and remaining juices. Dry on absorbent paper.
Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the karella pieces for 5 mins. Remove the karella and put them in a bowl. Add the onions to the oil, and fry for 5 mins then remove and put in the same pan as the karella.
Now fry the garlic and ginger for 2 mins. Add the tomatoes and minced meat, the spices and the ground pomegranate seeds, plus seasonings. Don’t add too much salt as the karella is a little salty. Cook this mixture for 15 mins.
Pour the yoghurt into the pan with the minced meat, and stir it well so that it is mixed throughout the meat.
Add the karella and onions to the pan along with the green chillies and cook over a low heat for 5 min.
Remove from the heat and add the fresh mint and coriander leaves. Allow to stand for 5 mins then serve with chapattis, naan, pitta or other breads and a salad.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

SPICY HERBAL TEA or TISANE

As the beverage described here is not made with tea leaves, we’ll call it a tisane, as opposed to other descriptions of teas which use tea leaves.
Tisanes have been used by probably every culture and in all civilizations for centuries. They are well documented by both Culpeper and John Gerard, and many others.
It’s useful to keep the ingredients for this tisane in a store cupboard and to take them with you when you travel, especially if you have children. It can be made and administered easily and will help until you can get medical treatment from your doctor.
This recipe will help when you have cold, flu, or sore throat symptoms; it will bring down your temperature and help you to relax. It also helps alleviate stomach pains and cramps.
The recipe below will make two cups of the tisane.



Spicy Tisane
Ingredients
1 tsp dried ground ginger root
2 green cardamom pods
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick, crumbled
sugar to taste
1 tsp lemon juice

Method
Pour 2 and a half cups of water into a pan and add the spices. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and bring to the boil again. Do this twice, or three times. With a ladle scoop up the liquid and pour it back into the pan several times to allow air to pass through the liquid and mix the spices well into the water. Turn the heat right down and cover the pan. Allow it to simmer for 2-3 mins. Strain the liquid into the cups and add the lemon juice and sugar to taste.
You should drink this hot, don’t allow it to cool too much or it will be less effective. It will induce perspiration, so wrap up warm .Preferably drink it in bed as it works immediately.
This has Taste and is a Treat(ment).

What is Pastitsio and how do you make it?

Pastitsio is a traditional Greek dish, which is less well known than moussaka, which is common to both Greek and Turkish cuisines. If you’ve sampled this in a Greek taverna, it was not what pastitsio really is. It takes about an hour to prepare and then there’s the cooking time, so make sure you have plenty of time to make it. Chill out while it’s in the oven with a glass of wine! It’s a good dish for weekends as it’s really tasty and a real treat, and well worth the effort you have to put in to making it.

PASTITSIO
Ingredients
500 gr minced beef, or lamb
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp dried thyme
½ inch piece of cinnamon ground to a fine powder
5 fl oz natural yoghurt
250 gr cheddar cheese, grated
½ ltr milk
50 gr butter
40 gr plain flour
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
300 gr macaroni, cooked
cooking oil

Method
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions and garlic over a high heat until they start to sweat, then turn down the heat and stir until transparent and almost brown. Put in the minced meat and cook until brown.
Add the tomato puree to soak up some of the oil, and stir. Then stir in the cinnamon, thyme and seasonings and cook for a further 5 mins and cook for a further 5 mins
Remove from the heat while you make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a pan and remove from the heat. Add the flour and stir so that it forms a smooth paste. Then add a little milk and stir into the paste. Add some more and stir while putting it back over a low heat. Continue adding the milk a little at a time and stirring well so that the sauce doesn’t go lumpy. (If it does, put it in a blender and blend till smooth.) Bring it to the boil and stir for 5 mins. Then remove the pan from the heat and add the yoghurt and cheese. Put back on a low heat but do not let the sauce boil. Keep stirring.
Put half the cooked macaroni into a greased ovenproof dish and cover with half the.
In a greased ovenproof dish, put half the cooked macaroni and mix with a third of the cheese sauce. Stir it in well. Now add the minced meat mixture, then the rest of the macaroni. Cover with the sauce and top with grated cheese.
Bake in a preheated medium oven for 30 -45 mins, until the cheese golden brown.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

Salt is salt,isn't it?

SALT

Salt is salt, isn’t it? No need to tell us about that I hear you think. Well, actually there are two kinds of salt you may not have heard of. I hadn’t, until I came to Pakistan, but here I am, and here they are too.

BLACK SALT

That’s what it’s called, because when it comes out of the ground, the large lumps look black. It’s found in volcanic regions in India and Pakistan and is good to cure flatulence and heartburn. It’s also very effective when rubbed on the flesh of a lemon, which you should eat to stop feeling nauseous. I can vouch for its efficacy for curing that queasy feeling personally!

The black salt we buy has been ground to a fine powder, and tastes a little sulpherous, rather like a hard boiled egg. It contains many trace elements and is rich in iron, I guess it gets its dirty-pink colour from those trace elements. I was surprised to find it wasn’t actually black, but it’s more of a grayish pink colour.

It’s not used in cooking, only as a condiment, and is used especially with fruit. It’s good with watermelon, apples and bananas. Black salt is cooling for the body. Below is a cooling, refreshing drink which uses it.

HIMALAYAN CRYSTAL SALT

This was formed aeons ago when the Earth was still forming and before the Himalayas were born. The ancient seas evaporated and the Himalayas pushed upwards, so this salt was formed under great pressure from the upward movement of these magnificent mountains. It’s actually sea salt, although it has been mined in the Himalayan region. It has been protected from all pollutants and impurities, even those found in nature.

After it has been mined, it’s cut, washed with water, sun dried and then ground to a powder or pounded into crystals. It contains 74 trace minerals.
You can buy both these salts in the UK if you buy online. We’ll give you the links in another post devoted to such topics.



SKANJVEEN
Ingredients
Makes one glass
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp black salt
2 ice cubes
water

Method
Mix all ingredients with water well, then add ice.

This has Taste and is a Treat.