Karaila

 
Karaila is called Karaili in Trinidad. It is also known in the West as Bitter Melon.
Karaila came from India with our ancestors and there are two kinds in Guyana. One is light coloured and the other dark. There is also a smaller varity called Ban Karaila. These are very tiny versions of  Karaila.

                               

 In New York City, two different varieties are available. The Indian one which is bumpy on the outside and another which is smooth. The latter is not as bitter as the Indian ones.
Many plant the seeds of the Indian Karaila and it grows and bears very well in the Summer months.
The following photos are taken in a backyard garden in Queens, New York City.                                                    
                                         

                                     

                                     

                                   

Karaila is a vegetable that we grew up with and so the bitter taste is one that we are accustomed to. I say this because several of our Western friends could not handle the bitterness. When we were children, most f us hated the bitter taste too and I can remember many Mothers used to add salt to the karaila after chopping them and let it sit for a while. The salt brings out the natural water in the vegetable and so they would squeeze out this water. This they say will make it less bitter. These days, no one does this anymore. Karaila is used to help people with diabetes. So no one wants to throw away the bitternes any more.

Karaila is cooked traditionally in two ways....Kalonji, which is stuffed Karaila and curried with mango and coconut milk/ And fried Karaila, which is basically stir fried Karaila. This is eaten with rotis alone or with dal too. When eaten with rice, it is served mostly with dal. Those who eat non-veg, would add dried fish or shrimp when they make their Karaila. The art in making fried Karaila is to make it as crispy as possible without burning the vegetable. To achieve this, some would spread the chopped vegetable out in hot Sun and this dries it out. This is also done with Ochroes.

This is recipe is for one person. It is such a simple dish that is easy to adjust for more quantity. One point to note, if you desire crispy Karaila, you need to be generous with the oil. If the Karaila sticks to the bottom of your Karahi/pot, then add some more oil. Some would drain out the oil after cooking the Karaila. The oil is usually very delicious to eat with rotis, though.

Ingredients:

1. 6 medium Karaila

2. 1 small onion, choppped.

3. 1 peg of garlic, chopped

4. 1 small pepper ( to your taste)

5. 4 tablespoons oil( more if the vegetable sticks to the pot bottom)

Salt to taste.

Method:

!. Wash and dry the Karaila.

2. Cut off and discard the stems and bottom.

3. Slit open and extract the seeds.

4. Chop the vegetable.

5.Add the oil to a hot karahi or non stick heavy bottom pot/pan. Add the chopped onions, garlic and pepper.

5. Stir fry the onions. garlic and pepper for a minute.

6. Add the Karaila. Stir to incorporate thoroughly.

7.Cook on medium to low flame so that it will cook and not burn,

8. You do not need to stir constantly, just keep and eye and stir when you see it starting to brown on one side. The stirring allows all the vegetables to brown evenly. If the vegetables are sticking to the bottom, make a hole in the middle and pour a little more oil in the center. You can do this again if it sticks again.

9. Add salt to your taste, when it starts to get brown.

10. I took it off the flames at this point. To get crispier Karaila, continue cooking but keep an eye on it and keep stirring as it can burn very easily at this point.

Enjoy your fried Karaila....

.