Meat or Chicken with Bitter Gourd (Karela Ma Gos)

Meat or Chicken with Bitter Gourd (Karela Ma Gos)

A classic Parsi delicacy known as 'Karela Ma Gos,' where tender chunks of meat or chicken are simmered with fried bitter gourd slices. The dish features a distinctive sweet and sour gravy created from jaggery and tamarind, which perfectly balances the natural bitterness of the vegetable. This rich, savory stew is slow-cooked until the ghee separates, resulting in a melt-in-the-mouth texture that pairs beautifully with rotis or rice.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Lamb or Chicken (cut into pieces) (Originally '1 ratal' (1 lb). Use tender meat with some fat.)
  • 1 pound Bitter Gourd (Karela) (Originally '1 seer'. Choose medium size, not too tender or too seedy.)
  • 1 cup Ghee (Originally '0.5 seer' (approx 1 lb/2 cups), reduced for modern preference. Use more if desired.)
  • 1 pound Onions (sliced) (Originally '0.5 seer'.)
  • 2 ounces Tamarind (Originally '1 navtank'. Cleaned and seeds removed.)
  • 2 ounces Jaggery (Gol) (Originally '1 navtank'. Crushed.)
  • 1 tablespoon Ginger paste (Originally '0.5 tola'.)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic paste (Originally '0.25 tola'.)
  • 1 1/4 tolas Salt (Approx 1 tablespoon, adjust to taste.)
  • 2 cups Water (Estimated for cooking meat and soaking tamarind.)

Instructions

  1. 1Scrape the skin of the bitter gourds lightly to remove ridges. Cut them lengthwise, remove seeds if they are large, and slice into thin pieces. Mix with a little salt and let them sit for 30 minutes. Afterward, rub them vigorously and squeeze out all the bitter water.
  2. 2Heat half of the ghee (approx 1/2 cup) in a pan. Add the squeezed bitter gourd slices and fry them until they turn red/brown. Remove from the ghee and set aside.
  3. 3Soak the tamarind in about 1/2 cup of cold water for 30 minutes. Mash it with your fingers to extract the pulp and strain it, discarding the fibers and seeds. Crush the jaggery into a powder and remove any impurities.
  4. 4Wash the meat pieces twice in cold water. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the remaining ghee. Fry the sliced onions until golden. Add the ginger and garlic paste and sauté briefly. Add the meat, salt, and enough water to cover the meat. Cook until the meat is tender and the water has mostly evaporated, leaving the oil/ghee to separate.
  5. 5Once the meat is tender and the ghee has separated, add the crushed jaggery, tamarind pulp water, and the fried bitter gourd slices. Mix gently. Place the pot on low heat (originally hot coals) and simmer until the mixture sizzles and the ghee separates on top again.
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