Karate God Nonche(Bittergourd sweet pickle)

A pickle which has sweet, salt, bitterness, sourness, crunchiness combined together. A very good way to include Bittergourd even if you don’t like it much. This one is my husband’s favorite as it is prepared in temple for samaradhan. This is the 2nd time I prepared it and throughout the process I was amazed to observe how every taste combines with other and becomes one to be this wonderful dish! Below is the recipe of this pickle.

Ingredients required-

1. Bittergourd- 2 (small)
2. Jaggery- 1/2 cup
3. Tamarind- lemon sized
4. Coriander seeds – 2tsp
5. Urad dal – 2tsp+1tsp
6. Methi seeds- 1/2tsp
7. Red chilly- 5-6
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil- 3tsp
10. Mustard seeds-1tsp
11. Curry leaves-1 strand

Method of preparation-

• Wash the Bittergourd and cut it into tiny pieces
• Cook it in a pan with very little water till it turns soft
• Now add the jaggery and continue to cook. Cook 9n medium flame till jaggery melts and starts thickening.
• Now extract the tamarind juice by adding very little water and add it to the pan.
• Continue cooking till raw smell of tamarind vanishes.
• I had roasted coriander seeds, urad dal and methi seeds with little oil in the beggining itself in the same pan before cooking the Bittergourd.
• Now to the cooled mixture add roasted red chilles or you can simply add them at the end while roasting other things if you don’t have roasted chilly.
• Powder them all in a mixie jar. Let it be fine powder.
• Now add this powder and salt to taste to the Bittergourd mixture.
• Mix everything very well and cook for 2-3min more. Make sure to have flame on medium throughout the process.
• Cool and store it in air tight container for couple of days.