Bitter Gourd or Karela as it is called in Hindi is a vegetable with many health benefits. Loaded with the goodness of antioxidants and essential vitamins, Bitter Gourd is also high in dietary fibre. Bitter Gourd helps purify the blood and and is also good for the skin. Unfortunately all this goodness is sometimes masked by its bitter taste.
As they say “where there is will there is a way “. The bitterness of the Bitter Gourd can be reduced by using any of the following methods:
- Blanch the pealed Bitter Gourd in boiling water with a pinch of salt.
- Alternatively, rub salt on the washed and pealed vegetable and leave it overnight, wash before cooking.
Other than the above some people also deep fry the bitter gourd which suppresses the bitterness, however I replace the deep frying by cooking in my air fryer. So, if you are watching weight , want to control sugar levels or otherwise believe in eating healthy and clean you should consider including Bitter Gourd in your diet, once or twice in a fortnight.
This bitter gourd recipe is one of my favourites. I carry it in lunch to office along with chapati and Daal or buttermilk. It is also a convenient dry vegetable to make in chapati rolls to be carried on road trips. The spices filled in the Bitter Gourd also aid in digestion.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
number
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- 400 grams Bitter Gourd baby
- Water Bitter Gourd for Blanching
- Salt
- 4 teaspoons Coriander Powder
- 1 teaspoon Chilly Red Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons Mango Powder Dry
- 2 Teaspoons Fennel Seed Powder
- To Taste salt
- Thread
- Oil for Frying
Ingredients
Filling
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|
- Wash and peal the Bitter Gourd. Slit the bitter Gourd horizontally
- Boil 2 cups of water and add 2 teaspoons of salt. In boiling water put pealed bitter gourd and switch off the flame. Leave it for 5 minutes and then drain the excess water and wash the bitter gourd with cold water.
- Mix all the dry spices and add a little salt, just enough for the spices as the Bitter Gourd would have absorbed salt from the water. Add a few drops of water to make the spice mix into a thick paste. Mind that the paste should not be runny.
- Fill the spice mixture in the Bitter Gourd and tie it with a thread.
- Spray a little oil and put the Bitter Gourd in air fryer on frying mode for 15 minutes. In between turn the Bitter Gourd. If you do not have air fryer you can pan fry it, though this requires a lot of oil.
- Serve it with Chapati / Paratha along with Daal or Buttermilk
I would love to hear from you on how the recipe turned out for you, please leave a comment and rate it.
Goes well with :
I do this with karela stuffed with mashed potatoes! Should try it with this recipe too!
Do let me know Sujata how does it turn out.