Bittergourd Chips

Vegetables are the heart and soul for every human being, especially the vegetarians. Every vegetable has its own goodness. I agree with this fact and try to incorporate most of the vegetables to our diet. However, there are some vegetables that are in my least likely one's list. Bittergourd is at the top level in this list. I used to hate this vegetable since my childhood. However, mom used to sneak peek them into our food. I remember those days when she would purposely make this vegetable on weekends and make us eat them. Now, this being one of my H’s favorite, I buy this often and began to develop a liking towards it. I make poriyal, stir fry, or pitlai with this. During my last India trip, dad bought these bitter gourd chips from Adyar Ananda Bhavan for us and it was absolutely nice and tasty. I have been trying to recreate it and tried them successfully.  Bitter gourd, as the name is a boon for diabetics. Apart from this, bitter gourd is also rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The folate in the bitter gourd is an excellent source for pregnant women in the early stages of their pregnancy. Do try this crispy bitter gourd chips and enjoy the best of it.
Servings: 4 yield(s)
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Bitter gourd (Sliced)
  • 3 tsp Rice Flour
  • 1 tsp Corn flour
  • 0.75 tsp Red Chili Powder
  • 0.5 tsp Garam Masala Powder
  • 1 dash Salt
  • 1 cup Cooking Oil (For Deep Frying)
Instructions
  1. Wash and pat dry the bitter gourd. Slice them to thin rounds. Remove the seeds and set them aside.
  2. In a wide bowl, add rice flour, cornflour, chili powder, salt, garam masala powder and mix uniformly. Add the sliced bitter gourd to it and sprinkle a teaspoon of water to it.
  3. Mix them thoroughly for uniform coating. Heat oil in a pan at medium flame. I used less oil for this process.
  4. Drop the bitter gourd to oil once it is hot. Fry them in medium flame for about 3 – 4 mins for crispy, cooked bitter gourd chips.
  5. Once cooked, strain them from oil and drop in a tissue paper. Store in an airtight container. This can be served as a snack or lunch accompaniment. Stays crisp for a week, if handled properly.
Recipe Notes

  • The proportion of rice flour to corn flour is important to achieve crispy chips.
  • Always cook in medium flame for uniform cooking. High flame frying will result in the burning of chips.
  •  Use less oil for frying. This oil becomes bitter after we fry the chips and hence can be only discarded.