When the phone rings at 4 a.m., you know it has to be bad news. Yet you hope against hope that it is a wrong number or somebody calculated the time difference incorrectly. No such luck this Sunday.
My father-in-law passed away suddenly on Sunday, one day after Sankranti.
I lit this diya earlier on my blog for the New Year. Today I light it for him.
It may seem very inappropriate to share a recipe at such a time. But yet I think it isn't. I learnt it from him. Karela, thin and crisp.
Crispy Karela
- 3-4 karelas
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
- pinch asafoetida
- salt to taste
- Thin-slice the karela into rings. Do not discard the seeds unless they are hard or discolored.
- Heat the oil in a kadhai or small wok
- Add the asafoetida and the turmeric powder
- Add the karela rings and sprinkle salt over them
- Cook on medium to low heat, stirring every so often, until the karela is crispy
He believed that every part of a plant has some nutritional value and that skins, peels, seeds (soft) should not be discarded. Therefore the karela is not soaked in salt water and then squeezed to reduce its bitter taste.
