To make the Bharli Kaarli, first rinse the bitter gourds well with water.

Scrape away the outer rough surface lightly, using a diaper or peeler.

Make a vertical slit in the bitter gourds to create a packet.

Clean away any seeds from the packet. Stuff each bitter gourd with 1-2 kokum.

Transfer the gourds to a pressure pan and add water so as to cover the gourds. Add half a teaspoon of salt and close the lid.

Cook for about 2 whistles. When the pressure releases naturally, drain the cooked gourds and set aside in a sieve to cool down a bit.

Do not discard the kokum. Keep them stuffed inside the gourds itself.

In the meantime, prepare the stuffing for the gourds.

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients mentioned for the stuffing and prepare a thick mixture using water as required. Take care that the stuffing does not become too loose.

Fill each bitter gourd well with the prepared besan stuffing.

Heat a pan and add the oil to it.

When it heats up, add the stuffed bitter gourds to the pan keeping the stuffed side downwards. Cover and cook for a while.

Open the lid and sprinkle a little water on the bottom of the pan. It will be immediately soaked up by the besan mixture. This helps cook the gourds with less oil.

Cover and cook again for some more time.

When the bottomside as well as the besan are well cooked, flip the gourds and cook well on the other side too.

When the gourds are cooked well on both sides, switch off the heat.

Serve these immensely healthy and delicious Bharli Kaarli with some hot phulkas and Daal Rice.