I love the Kaarakozhambu my mom makes and though I haven’t reached her level of perfection, I have done my best. In the usual recipe, coconut milk or ground poppy seeds are added for thickness. I added almonds for thickness, in an attempt to cut down the unwanted cholesterol and my tastebuds did not complain!

Whenever I make bittergourd, I cut it up, add lots of salt and let it sit for about 30 minutes. After that, I rinse it with lots of water. This way, some of the bitterness is lost.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd – 2
Onion – 3/4 of a big onion
Tomato – 1 big
Garlic Flakes – 4 big ones
Tamarind – A big lemon sized ball

Sugar/Jaggery/Brown Sugar – A pinch or two

Oil – 1 Tablespoon

Mustard Seeds – 1 Teaspoon
Urad Dal – 1 Teaspoon
Fenugreek Seeds – A pinch
Jeera – 1 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves – 6

Soak tamarind in a little water and extract the juice.

Grind Onion, Tomato, Garlic and Almonds coarsely. Heat oil in a saucepan and add mustard seeds, jeera and urad dal. After the mustard seeds splutter, add fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Take care not to brown the fenugreek seeds. Add the ground onion – tomato mixture and cook till the raw smell disappears. Add the bitter gourd pieces, salt, turmeric, chilli powder and dhaniya powder. Cook till the bitter gourd is done. Add the tamarind extract, sugar and cook till the gravy reaches a thick consistency. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander.

There is another variation to this dish which is as follows:

Oh, I forgot to name those green beauties I found. They are Amaranth leaves or MulaiKeerai or ThotaKoora.

My mom makes MulaiKeerai in a different way, without using dal. I grew up to like it a lot, though it might be a little bland to some palates.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Amaranth Leaves – About 2 to 2.5 cups

Water – 1 Cup

Turmeric – A pinch

Chop Amaranth leaves and cook them in water, with a pinch of turmeric. Use a masher or a blender and blend till coarse. Add salt as per taste.

Crush garlic flakes and break dry red chillies into small pieces.

Heat oil and add mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, red chillies and garlic flakes. After the mustard seeds splutter and the garlic flakes turn light brown, add it to the amaranth leaves and serve.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

For Powder:

Toor Dal – 2 Teaspoons
Channa Dal – 2 Teaspoons
Black Pepper – 1/4 Teaspoon
Coriander Seeds – 2 Teaspoons
Dry Red Chilli – 1
Dry Coconut – 1 Teaspoon

Tomato – 2 Medium ones
Water – 4 Cups

Boiled Black-eyed Beans – 3 Tablespoons
Turmeric – A pinch

For Garnishing:
Coriander (Chopped) – 1 Tablespoon

Soak black-eyed beans for about 6 hours and pressure cook till very soft. Mash and keep aside. Chop tomatoes into little cubes, add 4 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric and cook till done. Roast all the ingredients one by one, except coconut under the For Powder section and grind to a fine powder.

Add 3 tablespoons of the mashed beans to the cooked tomatoes and add the powder. Add salt to taste and cook for 5 more minutes. Heat oil and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. After they splutter, add it to the rasam and serve.

Almond milk is a milky drink made from ground almonds. Almond milk contains no cholesterol or lactose and can be used as a substitute for animal milk in many recipes. Historically, almond milk was also called amygdalate.

Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats as are found in olive oil, which have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease.

Here is the recipe for almond milk. This is different from our usual Badam milk, which is prepared from milk. This recipe uses only water. It’s a no cholesterol, low calorie drink.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Almonds – 1/2 Cup (Blanched and Skinned)
Warm Water – 2 Cups
Cardamom – 1
Sugar – 2 Teaspoons or Honey

Roast the almonds on a low heat till they turn light brown. Soak them in warm water and refrigerate for a day. Grind with cardamom and sugar. Strain through a filter and serve.

Letting the almonds soak for a day is supposed to activate them. You can skip the soaking, if you want to make the milk immediately.

I have not used any extract to flavor this milk, as I wanted to keep it simple, natural with a low sugar content. You can add vanilla or almond extract, according to taste.

I don’t have a great liking for almond skin, so I have used skinned almonds. You can use them otherwise. Almonds like other nuts containing oils, will turn rancid if not stored properly. Refrigerating almonds extends their shelf life considerably.