Recipe No : 1
Bittergourd Stir fried with Onions – Delicious side dish
Despised for its bitter taste, karela is not favoured by many. However, it is not a secret that Karela is relished by those who are aware of its therapeutic value and innumerable health benefits. This page is especially dedicated to bittergourd recipes due to the amazing medicinal values in it.
Karela has active substances such as charantin with anti-diabetic properties which act as insulin that help to control blood sugar levels! Diabetic patients could reap full benefits of Karela by drinking juice of it first thing in the morning to flush out toxins and excess blood sugar. Consuming Karela in regular basis will help the body to combat against building up excess sugar levels and stay in control with diabetes.
This recipe outshines all my other Karela recipes for its delicious taste and crunchy texture which is incredibly appetising. Unbelievably, the few lemon juice drops added to the stir fry at the end, enhance the taste in a great deal and make it quite pleasant to the taste buds too.
So, please make this simple recipe and enjoy it at least once in two weeks and keep yourself healthy and revitalized.
Only the basic few ingredients are needed to make this dish:
| Bittergourd / Karela / Karavila | 4 medium |
| Onions | 2 large |
| Kashmiri Chilli Powder | 1 tsp |
| Turmeric | 1/2 tsp |
| Lemon juice | a few drops |
| Salt | as required |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsps |
Let’s make :
Important : Do not wash Karela before cutting
- Cut dainty, thin rounds with seeds and all (Nothing should be wasted)
- Sprinkle 1 tbsp of salt and keep aside for 20 – 30 mins
- After 20 mins, place karela in a colander and wash under a cold tap until salt is removed
- Squeeze dry and keep aside
Stir fry
*Add olive oil and heat up a wide pan
*Add Karela and stir fry for about 3-4 mins or until slightly tender
*Drop chopped onions and continue stir frying for a few mins or until Karela gets crispy
*Add turmeric, salt and Kashmiri chili powder
*Cover and lower the flame. This will allow uncooked bits to cook evenly and all the spices to blend. Upto 3-4 mins is sufficient
*Open the lid, squeese a few drops of lemon juice and give a good mix under medium flame
*Done
*Enjoy the delicious, crispy Karela stir fry as a side dish with your main meal
Recipe No : 2
Stuffed Bittergourd – Delicious in every bite!
I described this recipe as “Karella, at its best” because, nothing of this vegetable is wasted in the cooking process: whole pod of this vegetable, the skin, seeds and the ‘fleshy part’, is being used to make this glorious dish; not only is it delicious, but also is rich in medicinal value.
This particular cooking method stems from Punjabi cuisine tradition, which later on spread its way across India, favoured by many cultures for its unique taste, enriched with numerous health benefits.
It has been renowned as a super diabetes buster for ages. New findings through extensive research have proved that the seeds of Karella form a robust fighter against cancer cells, which guaranteed its rank among super vegetables provided by nature.
Although, stuffed karella is normally deep fried in some recipes, I took steps to to keep its rare medicinal value intact: I steam them, with little olive oil sprayed all over. Hence, I can assure you that according to this recipe karella comes with its best to your plate!
You will need the following ingredients;
| Bittergourd (medium) | 6 |
| Large onion | 1 |
| Ginger garlic paste | 1 tbsp |
| Chili powder | 1/2 tsp |
| Coriandar powder | 1 tsp |
| Turmeric powder | 1/4 tsp |
| Mango powder (amchoor) | 1tsp |
| Cumin seeds whole (Jeera) | 1 1/2 tsp |
| Lime juice | 1/2 tsp |
| Salt | 1tsp |
Let‘s make it;
Scrape it
- Wash Karella and scrape the skin off.
- Slit in the middle, take the seeds out from the cavity using a small spoon.
- Chop the skin and seeds very thinly, sprinkle 1 tbsp of salt and keep aside for 1/2 hr.
- Rub salt inside the cavities of Karella and keep aside at the same time.
- After 1/2 hr, wash both karella cavities, chopped skin and seeds and squeeze, drain the water away using a sieve.
Stir fry it
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan.
- Splutter cumin seeds and hing.
- Add chopped onion and saute until golden.
- Add ginger garlic paste. Fry.
- Add all the spices and fry.
- Add gram flour and mix all thoroughly.
- Add salt and check the taste.
- Toss some chopped coriander leaves.
- Your filling is ready!
Fill it
- Fill cavities of each karella with the filling.
- Spray olive oil around the pan and arrange karella side by side.
Stream it
- Toss a bit of oil on top.
- Cover and let the karella cook in the steam under low flame while turning occasionally, not letting them burn.
- Finally, sprinkle little olive oil on top, toss some coriander leaves and serve warm with rice or rottis.
Recipe No : 3
Bittergourd (Karela) Curry – Juicy and flavourful curry inspired by Panjabi cuisine
This juicy Karella/Bittergourd curry, inspired by Panjabi cuisine is a delicious blend of bitterness of Karelas and the natural sweetness of onions and tomatoes. You will be surprised to learn that, to produce such a delicacy you will need only 3 main ingredients; Karela, Onions and Tomatoes
And only 3 main sprices :
- Chilli powder
- Turmeric
- Salt
Bitter Gourd is known as a sure diabetes buster according to ayurvedic medicine. This vegetable can be turned into a variety of dishes, depending on the type of cuisine you would like to follow. However, If you get the ingredients and their proportions right this is simply the best karella dish you can prouduce.
So, let’s make it;
What you will need;
| Bitter Gourd/Karella/Karavila | 4 medium |
| Onions(Indian Onion) | 3 large or 4 medium |
| Chili powder | 1/2 tbsp |
| Riped and Juicy Tomatoes | 3 large or 4 medium |
| Turmeric | 1 tsp |
| Salt | 1 tsp |
| Olive oil | 3 tbsp |
Let’s make it:
- Cut the Bitter gourds in thin rounds. Do not wash before cutting.
Sprinkle Salt liberally, about 2 tbsp and leave for up to 4 hrs. This will take out some of the bitterness of Karella and make them soft enough to cook. If you are serving this dish to a diabetic patient, leave only for 2 hrs in salt or not salt at all, so that most of the bitterness which is the antidote for diabetes, is intact. 
- Wash Karella in a colander under a cold water tap.
- Squeeze out water.
- Heat up Olive oil in a wide pan.
- Add the round Karella pieces and fry them until they turn Brown/Golden, while turning constantly. (Pls. see the pic for the colour)
- Meanwhile cut tomatoes in small chunks and onions thinly. (Adding more onions and tomatoes make this dish more juicier and larger in quantity.
- Once the Karella pieces turned into brown/golden colour, add tomatoes, onions, chili powder, turmeric and 1 & 1/2 tsp of salt, all at the same time.
Now mix everything together and cook under medium fire, uncovered. Remember to stir every now and again allowing it not to touch the bottom of the pan. Do not lower the flame to minimum or cover the pan as the curry will become too watery.
- The Karella will take about 1/2 hr to cook properly
- Taste and add more salt if required
- Slit three green bullet chilies in the middle and drop
- Cover and lower the flame to the minimum and cook for about 5 min. This will allow the juices to run
- Let the curry rest for a while before serving (make it the day before for a juicier version)
- Serve with hot white rice or chapatis
Recipe No : 4
Bittergourd (Karela) Stir Fried With Fresh Coconuts
I love the crunchiness of the Karella slices in this dish despite its mild bitterness and the fresh coconut in it contributes to a very pleasant sweetness.
The best news is that while making this stir fry, karella is in its natural form and intact with all its medicinal values. Well known as the world’s best antidote for diabetes, bitter gourd, eaten raw or half cooked like in this dish, flushes out the excess sugar and toxins in the system and purifies it.
This dish could be eaten on its own or as a side dish with steamed rice.
So, let’s make it:
The best news is that while making this stir fry, karella is in its natural form and intact with all its medicinal values. Well known as the world’s best antidote for diabetes, bitter gourd, eaten raw or half cooked like in this dish, flushes out the excess sugar and toxins in the system and purifies it.
This dish could be eaten on its own or as a side dish with steamed rice.
So, let’s make it:
Ingredients you will need;
| Light green, very tender bitter gourd | 3 |
| Freshly scraped/grated coconut | a handful |
| Salt to taste | |
| Pepper powder | 1 tsp |
| Onions | 1 large |
| Curry leaves and two pinches of turmeric | |
| Oil | 1 tbsp |
Let’s make;
- Slice up the bitter gourd very thinly.
- Remove all the seeds
- Sprinkle a little salt water and keep aside for 5 mins.
- Mix grated coconut with a bit of turmeric(optional) salt to taste and pepper powder.
- Squeeze the bitter gourds to remove excess water and immediately mix with the coconut.
- Slice the onion very thinly.
- Heat oil in a wok and splutter some mustard seeds(optional).
- Saute onions until slightly golden. Toss a lot of curry leaves.
- Add bitter gourds mixed with coconut.
- Stir fry continuously. (Do not close the lid or add water at any point)
- Toss often and stir fry until the bitter gourd pieces no longer taste raw but nice and crunchy as well as taste great.
- Adjust salt and pepper.
- Done!!
