Stuffed Bitter Gourd and Flat Green Beans

America's Test Chicken consists of two separate chickens, each with her own take on this cooking thing. Check out Chicken One's related blog, A Travel for Taste where she shares travel stories and recipes collected whenever she ventures abroad. And give Chicken Two's new, also-related blog, Poop from the Coop a read. There you can find stories about her personal adventure re-experiencing the kitchen after many years away. Please join our Facebook group to share your own recipes, kitchen practices and know-how. We are also on Pinterest and Instagram.

The complete recipes appear at the end of this post.

From Chicken One: Bitter Gourd Stuffed with Green Mango I was inspired to this recipe because of my first visit to the local Indian supermarket, Patel Brothers, which is actually a chain. I saw bitter gourds there and they looked like something Ripley had brought back from outer space. This truly ugly veggie goes by the name kerela in India, among others. Apprently it turns a lovely gold with bright red seeds inside when it's ripe. This form is immature, and so, so bitter - hence the name. I got this recipe from one of my favorites, Indian Harvest by Vikas Khanna. Evidently it's a comfort food in India and quite healthy for you. Healthy or not, NOBODY liked this dish! Maybe I made it wrong, but I followed the recipe precisely. I'd love it if someone who knows how to cook these things would let me know if it seems alright to them. Meanwhile, I won't be making these again. But I'll post pictures because they are very photogenic in the way a toad is photogenic. To add insult to injury, these bitter darlings are filled with a very tart grated green mango concoction which only serves to embitter them further. When I cut them and began removing the seeds and pith, I discovered the insides could be red, white or yellow. It was very strange not knowing if this was ok. But I forged ahead. After I cleaned out the seeds and marinated them with salt and turmeric, I put them in the frying oil: It was kind of like frying little armored reptiles. Then I set about making the grated mango filling, which is spiced and cooked. Then I brought them all together in a very attractive finished product that no one ate. I really did throw all of it in the trash can. It was completely inedible to our western tastes! But it was a lot of fun and I truly dig working with all these exotic spices and ingredients. So maybe I'll never cook bitter gourd again, but I would say it's probably the only thing us Chickens have tried that I wouldn't do again.

From Chicken Two: Flat Green Beans  (Papdi Chi Bhaji) One of the things I'm enjoying the most about cooking Indian food is discovering never-seen-before vegetables in the Indian market. I had to photograph the vegetable and the name (which is sometimes spelled funny) and then go home and look it up. Papdi is one of those vegetables. This recipe originates in Goa in the southwest region of India, and I discovered several versions. I chose the simple one, of course! You'll find the recipe below. You will see that it calls for a wok but I just used a large frying pan with high sides and it worked just fine. I have to say these beans were a little hard to get used to. They have  a rather rough texture and are just a little bitter - which is probably why they add the sweet stuff along with the savory! I'm sure you can use this recipe with a more traditional green bean and it will turn out great. I'm going to try it with snow peas. Give it a try and let me know what bean you used! Enjoy!

Bitter Gourd Stuffed with Green Mango

Ingredients

• 8-10 tender bitter gourds
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil + more for frying
• 3-4 dried red chiles, broken in half
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
• 2 green mangoes, grated
• 1 piece fresh ginger, 1 inch long, peeled and minced
• 1 green chile (serrano), minced
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• juice of 1 lemon

Cooking Directions

1. Cut tips off bitter gourds and gently scrape with back of a spoon. Cut into 2 1/2 - 3-inch rounds resembling cannelloni. Scoop out and remove seeds with back of a spoon. Evenly rub with 1 teaspoon of the turmeric and salt. Let rest at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
2. In medium pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add red chilies and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat; remove chilies with slotted spoon and reserve for garnish.
3. Reheat infused oil in pan and add fennel seeds, grated mango, ginger, remaining turmeric, green chili, ground coriander and cumin. Cook, stirring continuously until mixture becomes dry and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and lemon juice. Remove from heat and keep warm.
4. Heat vegetable oil for frying to 350 F.
5. Gently squeeze bitter gourd pieces and pat dry. Carefully fry them until they are darker in color and slightly crisp.
6. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Fill with green mango mixture and serve hot, garnished with red chilies.

Flat Green Beans (Papdi Chi Bhaji)

Ingredients

• 1 pound flat green beans (papdi)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon goda masala
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 pinch asafoetida
• 1-inch wide piece jaggery
• salt to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Wash and dry the beans. Remove string from each bean and break it into 2 or 3 even-sized pieces.
2. Heat oil in a wok and season it with mustard seed, asafoetida and turmeric. Then add the beans and saute.
3. Sprinkle the goda masala, coriander and cumin seed powders over the vegetable and mix it. Add the jaggery.
4. Cook it, covered, for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can use a steel plate as a lid for the skillet and pour some water on it. As this heats, it helps to cook the vegetables. Add the water on the lid to the dish if it requires more moisture. However, if you are making gravy, allow the water to evaporate in the process of cooking.
5. Serve hot.