Crispy karela fry is a delicious healthy vegan dish made with karela (bitter melon or bitter gourd), onions, raisins and few spices. It is simple to make and can be enjoyed with paratha or as side dish with everyday meals. Both stovetop and air fryer method are shared in post.
Many people dislike bitter gourd because of its strong taste but with this recipe I am sure you will start liking it. The bitterness of karela is well balanced here with mild sweet flavour of caramelised onions, raisins and fragrant spices like fennel (saunf), making it an absolute delight in every bite.
It can be enjoyed with flatbreads like chapati, paratha along with yogurt or as side dish with gravy dishes, dal-rice or sambhar rice. The crispy karela recipe shared here can be made in a pan on stovetop or in air fryer using lesser oil. It is:
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Healthy & tasty
Bitter gourd Fry Ingredients:
Karela: In telugu it is known as ‘kakarakaya’ and in english it is known by various names like- bitter melon, bitter gourd, bitter squash. This green colour vegetable belongs to gourd family (that includes cucumber, zucchini or squash).
As the name also suggests, it has a sharp bitter taste but is recommended for its nutritional value as it is a rich source of vit A, vit C and folate etc.
When buying, always look for firm yet tender bitter gourds (should not be wrinkled or limp). If while chopping you notice too many seeds inside them, discard the seeds as they can ruin the texture of dish. I always rub the cut karela slices with salt, turmeric and then squeeze them to reduce their bitter taste.
Onions: On caramelising, onion develop a mild sweet flavour and in this karela recipe it plays an important role by balancing its bitter flavour. We do not brown the onions completely but cook to soften them up and remove their pungency.
Oil: This dish is made traditionally made in mustard oil as it really suits the overall flavour combinations of the dish. However some people find its odour to be too strong. In that case, use any other cooking oil of your choice.
Spices: The bitter melon fry is spiced with Indian aromatic spices like cumin, coriander powder and fennel (saunf) powder. Fennel in particular, helps in masking the bitter flavour by its delicate sweet flavour so I would totally recommend not skipping it.
For spiciness, red chilli powder is added and you can adjust its quantity as per your liking. It can easily be replaced by cayenne pepper. For tartness, amchur (dry mango powder) is added.
Raisins: You will not find this ingredient in any bitter gourd fry recipe on internet but trust me it makes the dish so much more tasty with its natural sweet flavour. This is something which my mom always adds while making any karela dish whether it is bharwa karela or karela fry and we love it.
Optional: For variation, you can add small mashed potato to the fry or if it is mango season add a 2-3 tbsp grated raw mango to the dish for highlighting sweet-tart flavour. I would recommend adding potato to the dish if you are trying to make your kids eat this dish or for someone who is trying it for first time.
Hope you would like this easy crispy karela recipe. You can serve it as side dish with with dal or gravy recipes like-
Ingredients: (Serves 3-4)
- Karela / Bitter gourd- 3 to 4 pieces (~300 gms or 10 oz.)
- Onion (sliced)- 1 (large)
- Raisins (Kishmish)- 2 tbsp
- Mustard Oil (or any cooking oil)- 2 to 3 tbsp
- Cumin seeds (Jeera)- 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder (Haldi)- 1/2 + 1/2 tsp (divided)
- Red Chilli Powder- 1/2 tsp
- Coriander Powder- 3/4 tsp
- Fennel Powder (Saunf)- 1 tsp
- Dry Mango Powder (Amchoor)-1 tsp
- Salt- 1 tsp (to taste)
Directions:
Step 1:
Wash the karela well under running water to clean any dirt residue. Slice them into medium thick rings while keeping the knife slightly angled. If there are any big or thick seeds, remove them.
Step 2:
Sprinkle 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric (optional) on sliced bitter gourd. Mix well and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Squeeze the slices between you palms and discard the water released by them (You can even wrap them in kitchen cloth and then twist to squeeze out their moisture). This step helps in reducing bitterness of karela.
Stovetop Method:
Step 3:
Heat oil in flat pan. Add karela to the oil and mix well. Cook with lid for initial 3-4 minutes (to soften them up) and cook for another 3-4 minutes without lid on medium-high flame till they get golden spots. Remove from pan using a slotted spoon and keep aside.
Step 4:
In the same pan, add cumin seeds (jeera). Sauté for 20-30 seconds and add sliced onions. Cook them on medium-low flame till they become translucent.
Step 5:
To these onions, add karela, raisins, salt and all the spices. (Add less salt or add it after tasting as we had also added salt to karela in step 2.)
Mix well and cook for 4-5 minutes more on low flame to absorb all flavours. Stir them every 2 minutes. This will make the karela and onions more crispy. Enjoy it with hot chapati or parathas.
Air fryer Method:
The step 1 and step 2 will remain the same. For crispy texture, cut the karela slices thin but if you want crispy edges with slightly chewy center, keep them medium thick.
1. Take oil in a mixing bowl and add cumin powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp salt to it. Mix well and toss karela slices in it till each piece is coated with oil.
2. Preheat airfryer at 180°C (360°F) for 3-4 minutes. Transfer these bitter-melon slices in its basket and set to air fry for 14-15 minutes at 180°C (360°F). After 7 minutes, please add onions as explained in next step.
3. In the same bowl (we used for karela before), add sliced onions and toss them with 1 tsp oil. Add these to half cooked bitter-melon. Shake the basket to mix well.
4. Air fry for remaining time (7-8 minutes) till karela slices become crispy & slightly golden brown. Shake the basket every 4-5 minutes.
5. Transfer these air fried karela-onions back to the bowl. Add raisins, fennel powder (saunf) and amchoor (or lemon juice) to them. Mix well. Taste & adjust salt as per your taste. Delicious crispy karela fry is ready to serve.
Storage & Reheating Instructions:
The leftover karela fry can easily be stored in fridge in an airtight box for 3-4 days easily. It tastes good at room temp also but if you want to have it warm, microwave it for 30-40 seconds before serving.
Can I freeze bitter gourd?
Yes you can wash, chop & deseed the bitter melon beforehand and freeze it in a resealable bag for 1-2 months. Whenever you want to make stir fry, take out the required quantity from bag and sprinkle it with salt & turmeric (follow the recipe from step2).
More vegetable recipes you might like:
- Stuffed Capsicum Rings
- Stuffed Okra (Bharwa Bhindi)
- Aloo Gobi (Potatoes Cauliflower)
- Baingan Bharta (Roasted Eggplant Mash)
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(P.S: This post was originally published on 12 July’2017 and has been updated with better images and tips.)
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(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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