Karela (Bitter Melon Stir Fry)
Karela, also called bitter melon, is a popular vegetable used in many Asian countries. Here is a delicious North Indian Karela recipe, where bitter melon is cooked with onions and spices, along with some jaggery to get a sweet, spicy and tangy stir fry!
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 12 ounces Bitter melon (Karela) (remove any hard seeds and slice in rounds)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Oil (I used mustard oil)
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing) (optional, skip for gluten-free)
- 2 cup Onions (sliced)
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili powder (Mirchi powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin (Jeera powder)
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 2 teaspoon Gram flour (Besan) (optional )
- 1-2 tablespoon Jaggery (grated (optional))
- 1 teaspoon Dry Mango powder (Amchur) (or lime juice )
- 2 tablespoon Cilantro leaves (chopped )
Instructions
- 1
Wash the bitter melon and remove any hard/red seeds. If the karela is small and has tender seeds, it is not necessary to remove them. Then slice them into thin rounds.
- 2
(Optional) Sprinkle salt over the chopped bitter melon, mix well and leave for about 30 minutes. Then Squeeze the bitter melon gently between your palms to remove the bitter juice.
- 3
Heat oil in a large heavy bottom saucepan on medium-high heat. Then reduce heat a little and add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Let them sizzle for a few seconds.
- 4
Add onions and cook them for 2-3 minutes. We don't want to brown the onions here, just cook them to make translucent.
- 5
Add all the spices - turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and red chili powder. Add salt if you did not add it to remove bitterness of karela.
- 6
Add the chopped bitter melon and mix it well.
- 7
Cover the pan and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Let the karela cook till done while stirring at regular intervals.
- 8
Add the gram flour and mix well. Then add jaggery and mix well till the jaggery melts.
- 9
Add the dry mango powder and mix well. Remove from heat.
- 10
Garnish with cilantro and serve!