Athalakkai Poriyal | Athalakkai Stir Fry

My father loves vegetables and growing up, we were exposed to a lot of veggies. Being a fussy eater, I was never a fan of some of the veggies that my mom cooked but now, post marriage I have learnt to eat a lot of vegetables. But still this vegetable is still not my favorite since it is extremely bitter. This is supposed to be very good for diabetics. 

This vegetable is not very popular and not many people know about it. I have tried to find out the english name for this vegetable but I have not been successful. The botanical name is Momordica Cymbalaria, Kaasara Kaaya  in Telugu, Karsikayi  in Kannada and Kattupaval in Malayalam but I don't know what is the english name. If you do find out, let me know! I have attached a picture of this vegetable for your reference.

ATHALAKKAI STIR FRY
Preparation time 5 mins | Cooking time 15 mins | Serves 2

Ingredients

• Athalakkai - 1/4 kg
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste

To Temper

• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Green chillies - 2 

Method

1. Remove the stalk from the athalakkai and wash it well.

2. In a kadai, add oil. Once the oil heats up, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, green chillies and curry leaves.

3. When the mustard and cumin seeds splutter, add the athalakkai and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add salt.

4. Add the turmeric powder and garam masala powder and stir together.

5. Sprinkle some water and cook covered for about 5 minutes or until well cooked. Keep stirring often.

6. Once cooked, switch off.

We made some atalakkai kara kuzhambu to go wiht this stir fry. Will post that recipe later.

Notes

1. You can add chopped onions too but my dad prefers it this way.

Until next time,

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