Bitter Melon Chips

4 Indian bitter melons (Karela)
1Teaspoon salt or to taste
1Tablespoon oil
2 Teaspoons ground red pepper or red pepper mixed with other spices.

Wash bitter melons and dry them with paper towels. Cut them into thin circles. Mix with salt, oil, and red pepper. Spread them in a flat microwavable plate and microwave for six minutes. Mix them and microwave for three more minutes. Mix again and microwave for one more minute or until they are crispy. Let the chips cool. Chips taste great as a snack.

Keep the chips in a bottle with tight cap. They will stay fresh and crispy for a long time. 

All Purpose Sambar Powder

½ Cup chana dal
½ Cup thoor dal
1½ Cups coriander seeds (dhania)
2 Tablespoons fenugreek (methi) seeds 
¼ Cup cumin (jeera) seeds 
¼ Cup whole black pepper
1 Tablespoon turmeric (haldi)
1 Tablespoon asafetida (hing)
1 Cup ground red pepper or Kashmiri chili powder
2 Curry leaves from two stems

Mix all the above raw ingredients except curry leavs and blend in three batches into very soft powder. Keep blender jar closed while blending to avoid sneezing and coughing.

Mix curry leaves and store the powder in a glass jar with tight lid. Stays fresh for a long time. 

This powder is good for making sambar, rasam, or to stuff bitter melons (karelas) and, okras.

Mix salt to the powder as needed for the recipes. There is no need to add salt when used in sambar and rasam because there is salt already added with the vegetables. 

Mix powder with water (1 tablespoon to ¼ cup water) before adding it to the sambar to avoid lumps.

To use as dip for samosas, wadas and pakodies. mix sambar powder, salt to taste and lemon juice.

Thanks to Mokkapati Lalitha Garu for sharing this recipe.

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