Not everyone is fond of bitter gourd aka bitter melon or karela (Hindi). Either you will love it or hate it. I fall in the first category of liking this veggie from my childhood.
It is, in fact, one of my favorite veggies and I simply love this recipe. I always make sure that I include karela in our food once or twice a month.
This bitter gourd curry is not overly dry but has some moistness from the caramelized onions and the tender soft bitter gourd.
It is a quick, healthy and easy sabzi that I make with bitter gourd when I do not have enough time for making Bharwa Karela (Stuffed Bitter Gourd Recipe). The ingredients used are similar in both these recipes, except for the method of cooking.
This karela ki sabji is a bitter gourd curry made with lightly caramelized onions, dry mango powder and a few ground spices. This is a quick, healthy and easy bitter gourd recipe.
This dish is a must try for anyone who loves to explore new flavours and healthy dishes. This easy to cook dish is perfect for a weeknight dinner and it can be served with rice or roti.
This Vegetarian dish is cooked in a blend of aromatic spices and the result is a delicious and nutritious curry that is rich in antioxidants and nutrients.
Ingredients for Karele ki sabzi
Steps for Karele ki sabzi
Karele ki sabzi
Ingredients
400 grams of bitter gourd
Half teaspoon of Salt
1/4th teaspoon of Turmeric Powder
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons of Oil
Half cup curd
2 teaspoons of Kashmiri Chilli Powder
2 teaspoons of Cumin Powder
2 teaspoons of Coriander Powder
Half a teaspoon of Turmeric Powder
Half a teaspoon of Salt
3-4 tablespoons of mustard oil
1 tablespoon of Cumin Seeds
A pinch of Asafoetida/Hing
2 chopped Onions
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 Green Chilli chopped
Steps
Take 400 grams of Karela and chop into thin slices, remove the big seeds while chopping then add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4th tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tbsp lemon juice to the Karela and mix it with your hands, cover it and keep aside for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, the Karela will turn soft, give a mix and then squeeze the water from it by pressing them in between your both palms tightly.
The water that is left out is very beneficial for diabetic patients.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadai and fry the karela for 5-6 minutes by stirring on medium to high flame.
Now take half cup beaten curd add 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, 2 tsp cumin powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, half tsp salt mix it with the curd and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a kadai on low flame add 1 tbsp cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida stir it for 10-20 seconds, then add 2 chopped onions and fry till golden brown, then add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 chopped green chilli, fry it for 1 minute on low to medium flame.
When ginger garlic is fried with the onions add the curd mixture and mix it quickly with the onions.
Cook for 2-3 minutes on low flame and the gravy starts boiling cover it and cook on low flame for 5-6 minutes.
When the gravy is cooked properly add the fried Karela to the gravy, stir the karela on high flame so that the spices are absorbed by the karela and then add half cup of hot water when it starts boiling cover and cook it for 5-6 minutes on low flame till oil separates.
Check it and turn off the flame.
Serve karela ki sabji with phulka, paratha and a bowl of fresh plain curd (yogurt) or sweetened curd.
This dry bitter gourd curry also goes very well as a side vegetable dish or accompaniment with the combination of dal rice or kadhi chawal (Punjabi curd kadhi with rice). You can garnish with some coriander leaves if you want.
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Let us take a sneak peek at the health benefits of karela or bitter gourd: It purifies blood. Excellent for people having diabetes. Improves constipation and piles. Helpful in healing skin disorders. Besides being good in B Vitamins and Vitamin C, Karela is also rich in minerals like iron, calcium and phosphorus.
Points to Remember *If you get the karela which are very bitter, then mix some salt on the chopped karela and keep aside for 20-30 minutes. The salt extracts the bitterness. Rinse in water and then use in the recipe. Alternatively, you could also put them in salted water. Keep them in salted water for 20-30 minutes. Rinse them with fresh water and then add them to the recipe. *Karela seeds can be weeded out due to the reason that they are toxic and should be avoided during pregnancy. *For a tangier taste increase the amount of dry mango powder by ½ teaspoon. If you do not have dry mango powder, then drizzle ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice or as required.
