Khatem

Ingredients

Gourd

• 3bitter gourds
• about 600 g
• 1 teaspoonsalt

The pan

• 4 tablespoonsoil
• or mustard oil
• 1onion, sliced thin
• 4green chillies, sliced
• or 2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes
• 3garlic cloves, sliced
• salt to taste

Sometimes added

• 2tomatoes, chopped
• a little datshi, local cheese
• 1 teaspoonSichuan pepper

To serve

• red rice
• ema datshi
• as one dish among several

Directions

1. Remove the seeds and pith before cooking. Anyone unsure should ask a medical professional. Wash the gourds under cold water. Trim off both ends of each gourd. Cut them all in half lengthways. Scoop it all out with a teaspoon. The remaining flesh is bitter enough.
2. Lay each half down flat side down. Slice it across into thin half moons. Aim for about three millimetres. Keep them thin and even throughout. Toss the slices with a teaspoon of salt. Let them sit for a good ten minutes. It is about texture rather than flavour.
3. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan. Get it properly hot before anything goes in. Heat mustard oil until it just smokes first. That takes off its raw sharpness. Add the dried gourd slices to the hot oil. Spread them out in a single layer. Do not crowd the pan at any point.
4. Work in batches if you need to. That gives soft pale gourd every time. Let them fry without stirring for three minutes. Give them about ten minutes in total.
5. Add the sliced onion to the pan. Add the sliced garlic with it. Fry them for about four minutes. They should soften and colour.
6. Add the sliced green chillies. Fry them for a good two minutes. Reduce it considerably if you want it milder. The heat should be noticeable and deliberate. Add the chopped tomatoes if using them. Cook them down for about five minutes. Crumble in a little datshi at the end.
7. Let it melt right through the pan. Taste it and add salt as needed. Add Sichuan pepper if you have it. The gourd should be crisp at the edges. Spoon it into a small serving dish. Serve Bhutanese red rice with it. It keeps two days refrigerated.

Technique

• Many cuisines salt, soak or blanch bitter gourd to draw the bitterness out, but Bhutanese cooking does not: the bitterness is what the dish is for and is treated as a virtue rather than a fault, with heat working against it rather than hiding it.
• Bitter gourd has documented effects on blood glucose, which matters for anyone on diabetes medication since eating a lot of it alongside such medication can lower blood sugar too far; it is also traditionally avoided in pregnancy across the region.
• The ripe fruit’s bright red seed coat is sweet and appealing to look at, but cases of illness in young children are reported from it, so remove the seeds and pith before cooking and do not give the red pulp to small children.

Substitutions

• Dried chilli flakes stand in for fresh green chillies.
• Mustard oil, heated until it just smokes first, is used in some households.

Variations

• Some cooks add tomato for moisture and a little sweetness.
• Crumbled datshi cheese melted in softens the bitterness noticeably.
• Sichuan pepper is added in some Bhutanese households.

History

A common Bhutanese side dish; the bitterness is prized rather than soaked away as elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions

What is Khatem?

Khatem is a salad & side from Bhutan: bitter gourd sliced thin and fried with chilli until the edges crisp. A common Bhutanese side dish; the bitterness is prized rather than soaked away as elsewhere.

How long does Khatem take to make?

Khatem takes 15 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Khatem?

Yes, within limits. Dried chilli flakes stand in for fresh green chillies. Mustard oil, heated until it just smokes first, is used in some households.

What is the most important thing to get right in Khatem?

Lay each half down flat side down. Slice it across into thin half moons. Aim for about three millimetres. Keep them thin and even throughout. Toss the slices with a teaspoon of salt. Let them sit for a good ten minutes. It is about texture rather than flavour.