Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a skillet. Add the onions and fry until brown spots appear. Add the tomatoes, chilli, turmeric and coriander powders. Fry until the oil starts to separate.

Add the peanuts and jaggery and stir-fry until the jaggery's melted.

Add salt to taste, coriander leaves, then turn off the heat and set aside.

Prepare the karelas by lopping off the ends and making a vertical slit all the way down one side, taking care not to cut through. With your fingers or a melon baller, remove all of the thick, white seeds that run through the length of the vegetable. Discard the seeds.

Spray the karelas with some oil and place in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or until they become a little tender but not cooked through.

When they are cool enough to handle, stuff each karela with the tomato-onion-peanut filling. (My mom, when she stuffed karelas, would tie a string around them to keep the filling from coming out, but I skip this step.)

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a cast-iron or non-stick skillet. Place the karelas, without overlapping, in the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning after each side becomes lightly golden-brown and is tender. To ensure the karela is well-cooked, pierce it with a knife. If the knife goes in without any resistance, it's pretty much ready to eat.

Enjoy hot with some plain old dal and rice.