Kaarlyache Kaap - Crunchy bittergourds

The secret of making these bitter gourd strips or kaarlyache kaap is to make thin strips of the bitter gourd. Of course, as everything else, if you deep fry them, they will be even more delicious. However, I shallow fried them which takes a long time to achieve that crunchiness!

Kaarlyache Kaap
Crunchy Bitter gourds
Ingredients
3-4 bitter gourds, rinsed, scraped, cut into thin strips
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 - 1 tsp chili powder (or per taste)

1/4 cup semolina/rawa/cream of rice
or
2 tbsp semolina/rawa/cream of rice + 2 tbsp rice flour

oil for shallow or deep frying

Method
1. Apply salt and other spices to the bitter gourds.
2. Dredge each strip in the rawa or rawa+rice flour mixture.
3. Heat oil in a pan.
4. Keep bitter gourd strips in a single layer of shallow frying. or add gently for the deep frying.
5. Fry till they are crunchy.

Note -
1. Sprinkle salt on the thin strips of bitter gourds. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Squeeze the juice and then use the strips if you want to remove the bitterness of the gourds. However, I did not follow this step as the bitter gourds that I get here are not that bitter and I like bitter taste.
2. If you are shallow frying with minimum oil, then making crunchy strips takes longer than usual. The strips should be crunchy, the bitter gourds should be cooked and rawa should not be burnt.