3 Foods You Believe You Hate & Recipes That Will Change Your Mind

When it comes to food there are only two kinds of people, Picky Peters or Adventurous Adams. If you’re a Peter, you know what you like, more importantly what you dislike and the apocalypse shall rage before you’re seen ordering one of your hated foods off a menu. On the other hand, the Adams give in to temptation, be it an apple or Hákarl, as they believe in the try-before-you-die for everything edible.

What they do have in common is a list of foods that they wouldn’t dare touch with a foot long fork. Whether it’s your favourite dish with that ingredient or the latest food trend, these foods will have you say a big ‘no’ simply by their presence. We all have few foods we can’t love no matter what. But DSSC is here to change that, we bring to you the top three universally hated foods & recipes that will convert you.

Bitter Gourd (Karela)

The fact that ‘Karela’ is used as an insult to call someone bitter is proof enough of the hatred this defenceless vegetable faces! While we come around to relishing most foods that were hated during childhood, bitter gourd fails to make the cut for most of us. Juice it or spruce it, every attempt to like this intense-flavoured veggie is in vain. Its taste may not pack quite the punch, but the benefits it carries sure do, from lowering cholesterol, improving eyesight, skin & hair, to overall immune system, and our fave – a hangover cure.

All those advantages rolled into one, you sure wouldn’t want to shun the humble vegetable now. And we have just the recipe to help you with that. This Stuffed Bitter Gourd with Spiced Tomatoes offers none of the bitterness, which is drowned by the tangy spiced tomatoes. Be prepared to change how you look at (and eat) the dreaded karela.

Prep time: 10 minutes + 25 minutes

Caters to: Four gobblers

Challenge level: Beginner

From The Pantry:

• 4 bitter gourds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 2 tablespoons ginger, chopped  
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ cup dried curry leaves

Cook Away:

1. Preheat the oven to 220C
2. Slice the bitter gourds in half across the length. Remove the seeds and pulp so that each half forms a pocket.
3. Take a large skillet and pour in the oil on medium-high heat. Add the ginger and onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
4. Next, add all the spices and salt and let the mix sit for 30 seconds. Add the tomato and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Let this mix cool off and then fill the bitter gourd pockets with it. Tie the bitter gourd halves together with kitchen string.
6. Take the remaining oil and pour it into a new skillet. Over medium-high heat place the bitter gourds in it and cook until they turn brown on all sides.
7. Put these on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 5 to 7 minutes.

Stevie’s Tip: Do away with the excess bitterness by salting each side of the halved bitter gourds and letting them sit in a strainer for about 20 minutes. Rinse away the salt completely and make your recipe dreams come true.

Pull them out of the oven and revel in your new found love for bitter gourds!

Blue Cheese

Stinky cheese. Those who swear by Blue Cheese know you’re missing something in life, and those who haven’t tried it know they’ll be missing some nose hair after trying it. Extending your love of cheese (we refuse to believe a Homo sapiens doesn’t like this wonder) to a smelly cheese like this one is a giant leap of faith, but if the converts are to be believed the jump is worth every skipped heart beat. To help you gain the badge of a cheese connoisseur without a sensory ambush we go beyond crackers and get you this yum in the tum Blue Cheese & Bacon Omelette – your first step towards the secret wish of becoming a cheese snob.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Caters to: One gobbler

Challenge level: Beginner

From The Pantry:

• 2 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled
• 1 strip cooked bacon, crumbled
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon milk
• ½ tablespoon butter
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Cook Away:

1. Take a frying pan and melt the butter in it.
2. Add bacon to it and cook until sizzling.
3. Take a bowl and whisk together the eggs and milk.
4. Pour this mixture on top of the bacon in the frying pan.
5. Cook until firm enough and then flip. Let the underside also cook until firm.
6. Now add 1 ½ tablespoons of blue cheese on half of the omelette and fold the other half on top of it.
7. Garnish it with the remaining blue cheese, salt, and pepper.

Your very own omelette au fromage bleu is ready to be devoured!

Bottle Gourd (Ghiya)

From its appearance, to its mushy texture, to the bland taste, it seems like the Bottle Gourd never even had a chance. No wonder it’s one of the top disliked vegetables around. The whiff of Ghia being cooked is enough to have us rushing out for dinner leaving the green veggie lonesome. It doesn’t count as a palate pleaser, but it is high on the nutritional count, helping with stress, weight loss, digestion, and also acting as a great post-workout drink when juiced. But you’re only human and health benefits only help so much in making any food appealing, so we put a DSSC style spin on the Bottle Gourd to make it go from Clark Kent to Superman. This Bottle Gourd Ice Cream will have you go Oh My Gourd!

Prep time: 30 minutes

Caters to: Four gobblers

Challenge level: Beginner

From The Pantry:

• 500 grams bottle gourd, shredded
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ tablespoon cardamom, powdered

Cook Away:

1. Take a non-stick pan on medium heat and put the bottle gourd, sugar, and powdered cardamom in it.
2. Cook until the bottle gourd is soft and doesn’t leave water.
3. Remove the pan from stove and set aside to cool off completely.
4. Once cooled, add cream and honey to this mix and whisk for about 1 minute.
5. Transfer this mix into an airtight container and freeze till almost set, approx. 2 to 3 hours.
6. Now take the mix out into a bowl and blend using a hand mixer for about 2 minutes.
7. Put back into airtight container and freeze until completely set, approx 5 to 6 hours.

You’re now ready to chill with your new friend, the Bottle Gourd Ice Cream!
We know what we’re eating next week! Will you brave up to these recipes and #StopTheHate?

Featured Image Courtesy: stuff.co.nz