Inspired by KanchanAhuja, I cooked Bitter gourd. I followed her recipe..
I rarely use pressure cooker unless I am cooking mutton, or lentils. But cooking normal vegetables? It is unthinkable for me. I always prefer slow cooking. I understand that using pressure cooker is quick but I always add water. Never before have I ever cooked anything without water in a pressure cooker. But then, there is always first time. Yesterday I attended live cooking session of KanchanAhuja and she demonstrated three quick recipes. It seemed so easy. I decided to try her technique for cooking bitter gourd (although she had used Okra)
I was nervous throughout the cooking procedure..(what if there is sudden explosion without water)..What if it gets burnt? The only solace was that I had watched Kanchan do it, so I was getting a bit courageous. I waited eagerly for 2 whistles.(staring at the gas with eyes wide open)…I was tempted to quit (was I taking risk?) and phew.when the whistle finally sounded, I was relieved. .It was success. It was good
The trick is in layer cooking with juices extracted from onion and tomatoes mixture
This is how I cooked it….
Layer the pressure cooker in this order
Layer one
2tbsp oil
Layer two..
spread 2 finely chopped onions
Layer three..
spread 2 finely chopped tomatoes
Layer four..
add deep fried 250gms of bittergroud (i have salted the BG with salt for few hours..then squeezed out the water and deep fried it)
Layer five..
add 1tsp turmeric, 1tsp coriander powder
Layer six..
add green masala (1small bunch of coriander leaves, 1 inch ginger, 5cloves of garlic, 4green chilies)
Layer seven:
Add salt
Cover and pressure cook for 2 whistles
Release the pressure
Mix it well and serve.
