bharta to detoxify...bitterguard mashed up ..

I know.. i know many of you must be feeling really uncomfortable at the thought of bitter guard mashed up . To make you more at ease let me tell you that even i was very suspicious of this mash till i actually tasted it . My dear friend Tapati used to talk about this mash (her own version) , about how much she loves having it daily , i used to think she is being overenthusiastic with her skin care regime . I thought of trying it a few times as i had liked another version of bitter guard mash long time back . And that was at the home of a very respected teacher of mine who was a Gandhian and practiced naturopathy .

And when i tasted this bharta at Tapati's place again a couple of years ago , i was hooked to it. I found it very tasty ... ah.. don't get surprised , i like bitter guards otherwise too. Needles to say this heavy duty detox recipe became a regular at my place and a big bowlful of this mash makes my body and my skin happy.

Now let's move to the recipe...

three medium bitter guards , one medium sized potato , and two red ripe tomatoes are cut into chunks and dunked into the pressure cooker with 1/2 cup of water and salt to taste . Boiled till done , till the first whistle blows if using pressure cooker .
Microwave can be used too.

The boiled vegetables look like this...

Now is the time to peel off the tomato skins and mush everything up into a bharta . Some chopped onions and green chillies will be added as per taste . I like the chopped onions providing a nice crunch as well as balancing the flavors of this mash.

Adjust salt and add a tsp of mustard oil . Mustard oil is a north Indian favorite and it you feel uncomfortable with it you can use sesame oil or olive oil too...

If you have been a bitter guard hater , believe my words that even a staunch BG hater that my husband is , even he eats a medium bowlful of this mash , once in a while . It is theek hai ( just okay) kind of dish for him while he says achha hai ( good or great ) if he really loves something . Not exactly lovable for him but just okay things can be had once in a while...

With my chapatis or with daal chaawal , this is the way to my detox plan whenever i decide for it . Even otherwise i keep making it once in a while and many of my other friends have liked the idea of this mash .... you know we click with similar kind minded people as friends :)

Enjoy...