Karela sabji recipe - this is dry preparation of bitter gourd curry. The sliced bitter gourd is sauteed with onion and few basic spices. This sabzi goes well with roti or paratha.
I always liked the taste and flavor of karela, but hubby is not big fan of it. But recently he started to enjoying it. So I make it at least once a month.
This is simple and quick to make sabji that I have grew up eating it. But my mom-in-law makes the gujarati karela sabji with besan. Hubby likes that version more than this. I will share it sometime later.
There many health benefits of bitter gourd
- Maintains blood sugar level (good for diabetic people)
- Lowers bad cholesterol
- Helps in weight loss
- Boost the immune system (if consumed karela juice), Yes you can have raw karela.
- Cure constipation
- Purifies the blood so good for skin problems
Because it has many health benefits, it doesn’t mean that you should have it more often. Keep in mind that it should be consumed in moderation. Pregnant women should avoid its consumption.
How to reduce the bitterness of bitter gourd?
To reduce the bitterness of bitter gourd marinate the slices into the salt for 20 minutes and then squeeze out the water and then rinse with water.
Above mentioned is the most popular method but there are many other ways to reduce the bitterness.
- By soaking the slices into tamarind water or buttermilk (chaas).
- By adding jaggery or sugar while cooking them.
- By deep frying or sauteing in good amount of oil.
- By removing and discarding seeds completely will reduce the bitterness effectively.
Check out other healthy sabji recipes
Methi bhaji // Lauki tamatar ki sabji // kaddu ki sabji (pumpkin sabzi) // broccoli sabzi
How to make karela sabji recipe? (Step by step photos)
1) Scrap the skin of karela, do not peel them completely. Then cut it vertically and then slice them. If the seeds are mature and tough then discard otherwise leave them in.
2) Take the slices into a bowl and add salt, mix well. Keep it aside covered for 20-30 minutes.
3) After that squeeze out all the water using your fist and keep them in a colander.
4) Now rise the squeezed karela under running water.
5) Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Let them sizzle.
6) Then add turmeric powder and hing, stir.
7) Immediately add onions, ginger and green chili. Sprinkle little salt to speed up the process.
8) Mix and cook till they starts to soften.
9) Now add bitter gourd, red chili powder and coriander powder.
10) Mix well so all the masala is coated to the veggies.
11) Cover it with thali/plate which should have rim around the edges, so added water can stay in. Add glassful of water.
12) Let the karela steam cook till they are soft and tender. Do stir once or twice during the cooking process and make sure that it is not sticking to the pan.
13) Lastly add sugar, amchur and garam masala.
14) Mix well and turn off the stove.
Serving suggestion: Serve karela sabji with roti or paratha. To have complete meal, have dal-rice and kachumber salad on side.
Karela Sabji Recipe (Indian Bitter Gourd Curry Recipe)
Ingredients
- 300 grams or or 2 ½ cups Karela (Bitter gourd) scraped and sliced
- 1 teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon Fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida)
- 1 cup Red onion sliced
- 1 Green chili finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
- 1 ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ - 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Amchur powder (Dried mango powder)
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
Instructions
Preparation:
- Scrap the outer skin of the karela (Do not peel). Then cut it into half vertically and thinly slice them. If the seeds are tough and mature then discard otherwise keep them as it is.
- Take slice karela in a bowl and sprinkle salt over it.
- Keep it aside for at least 20-30 minutes.
- Meantime chop onion, green chili and prep rest ingredients.
- After the resting time, squeeze out all the water.
- Then rinse them under the water.
Making karela sabji recipe:
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Let them sizzle a bit.
- Then add turmeric powder and hing, immediately add sliced onions, chopped green chili and ginger.
- Sprinkle little salt, mix and cook till onions starts to soften.
- Now add sliced bitter gourd, red chili powder and coriander powder, mix well.
- Cover the pan with thali/plate which has rim around the edges. Add water on the plate and let the sabji steam cook on medium heat.
- Do stir once or twice in between and cook till karela becomes soft and tender.
- Lastly add sugar, amchur powder and garam masala, mix well.
- Bitter gourd curry is ready to serve.
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