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Karawila sambola
Fried bitter gourd salad
කරවිල සම්බෝල (karawila sambola): crisp-fried bitter gourd tossed with red onion, green chilli, tomato and lime
Even people who claim to hate bitter gourd tend to come round to karawila sambola, the crunchy, tangy salad that turns up on rice and curry plates from the coast to the eastern towns. Paper-thin slices of the knobbly green gourd are salted to draw out some of the bitterness, fried until they are crisp like crisps, and then tossed at the last minute with raw red onion, green chilli, tomato and plenty of lime. The result is salty, sour and gently bitter, a bright contrast to rich coconut curries. Many cooks also scatter in Maldive fish flakes; this vegan version leaves them out. The mistake to avoid is mixing the salad too early, since the lime and tomato juice soften the fried slices within minutes. Chef's tip: squeeze the salted slices really hard in a clean cloth before frying; the drier they are, the crisper and less oily they come out.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the bitter gourd
- 2 bitter gourds (karawila)about 350 g, halved, seeds scooped out, sliced 2 mm thin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor frying
For the salad
- 1 red onionthinly sliced
- 2 green chilliesthinly sliced
- 1 tomatoseeded and diced
- 1 ½ tbsp lime juice
- 1 /2 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Toss 2 bitter gourds (karawila) with 1 tsp salt and 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric and leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze out as much juice as you can in a cloth.
10 minStep 2: Heat 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a wok over a medium-high heat and fry the slices in 3 batches for 3–4 minutes each, stirring, until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
12 minStep 3: Just before serving, toss the fried gourd with 1 red onion, 2 green chillies, 1 tomato, 1 ½ tbsp lime juice and 1 /2 tsp dried chilli flakes. Taste for salt and serve at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does karawila sambola take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of red onion?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
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