August 25, 2011

Bittergourd/Parikkai Chips using Microwave ~ Crisp & Low Fat

When there are so many varieties of chips to choose from, why would any one think of chips out of bitter gourd. The name itself might bring unpleasant taste to many. I first tasted these chips when my co-sister got this from A1 chips, Coimbatore. It was very tasty that the bitterness could easily given a pass. I do make sun dried bitter gourd to use in vatha kuzhambu or deep fry them as occasional sides.  But its chips avatar really bowled me over. 
I have been thinking of trying it in microwave in the same way as masala peanuts is done. Every time I buy the bitter gourds, I remind myself that I should try with at least one. The theme of blogging marathon gave the final nudge and I made it yesterday. It came out very crisp and it was all done in 12 minutes.




You need
Bitter gourd, medium sized - 3 nos
Rice flour - 3 tspn
Red chilly powder - 1/4 tspn
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tspn

Method


Wash and slice the bitter gourd into thin circles. Remove the seeds. If you find removing the seeds after slicing a bit tedious, you can cut the gourd into two halves, vertically. Remove the seeds and slice. Spread it on a newspaper for an hour or so. So it will dry out by then.



In a bowl, take rice flour, red chilli powder, salt and oil. Mix well. Add the sliced bitter gourd to the flour mix. Sprinkle few drops of water so that the masala coats all the pieces well.



Arrange the bitter gourd pieces on a microwave safe plate, in a single layer. Microwave high for 4 minutes. Take the plate out and flip the pieces. Microwave for 5 minutes. Check if it is crisp. Else MW in steps of 1 minute. After 10 minutes, you can drizzle few drops of oil and cook further.  It took 12 minutes for me. The time may vary according to the quantity and thickness of the slice. Store in an airtight container. It stays crisp for a long time.

Enjoy with your cup of tea/coffee or as a side for curd rice.







Variations
1) You can use sambhar powder or any other spicy podi
2) Add sesame seeds for crunch
3)Increase the amount of rice flour to get a batter fried effect


I am taking this to the MEC-Potluck hosted by Srivalli.

Do check out what my blogging marathon buddies have cooked for the day.


25 comments:

  1. this looks perfect and yum ! Hubby loves Karela and this is low fat too ! bookmarked :-)

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  2. this is loved by everone in my family. looks crisp.

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  3. healthy to snack on! looks yummy!

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  4. Crisp fry...Loved the use of MW to do it..

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  5. Definitely am gonna make some soon, well done..

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  6. Wow. A good one and have bookmarked it. :)

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  7. I did these in the oven recently .. yet to post it. I am a big fan of bitter gourd.

    Vardhini
    Check out my 100th post giveaway.
    Current Event: Herbs and Flowers - Garlic

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  8. Love bittergourd.. Chips look healthy & yummy.

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  9. Looks very crispy and healthy!!!!

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  10. Looks absolutely perfect and delicious.. lovely pictures too :)

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  11. Def am gonna buy this n make it.. so so good!!!

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  12. I'm a big fan of them..But missed them after moving to US..Love them..

    http://ammajirecipes.blogspot.com

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  13. Yeah, they come out great when cooked in MW. Yours look very yum!

    Rajani

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  14. Hubby loves bittergourd, I am not too fond of it, but would not mind a few. Will surely try it

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  15. I love the chips from A1..They are too good...I too like these bittergourd chips..I once made them but, I deep fried them...must try this healthy MW version

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  16. That's really very nice..do you think ppl will say no if you bring this to the potluck party for MEC?..:)

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  17. This is one veg i don't like but i love the clever idea.

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  18. Lovely chips! Looks awesome. MIL made this for me but she deep fried it! Urs is a healthy option!

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  19. Lovely recipe.. looks really good.. thanks for sharing !!
    Indian Cuisine

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  20. lovely recipe....looking crispier,yummm.....

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  21. I love this so much I did not we can do it this way!, very impressive, I am definitely going to try this, as you said it's going to stay crispier for long :), thanks for sharing

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