Achari Karela Sabzi

Bitter gourd cooked in a tangy sweet and sour sauce with pickle spices

Karela/Bitter gourd is a summer special vegetable in Indian.Now you can karela every where in the vegetable market but it is among the few vegetables which are not liked by many people.Often people just hate the bitter taste of karela but their are still so many who loves its bitter taste.Many variety of karelas are really bitter in taste but all are that bitter.

Making good karela do needs some patience,time and skill. Scraping or peeling karela itself takes some time. you have to apply salt over it and let it rest for some time and then have to wash it well to remove the salt and the bitterness. Applying salt removes the bitterness with the water from karela .

To make karela a souring agent is added in it and raw mango pairs very well with karela .You can also use dried mango powder /amchoor or tamarind in case raw mangoes are not easily available .

I often make karela in the season. Bharwa karela is my favourite but my husband just loves this Crispy karela kachri with daal and rice. I also make a delicious snack with karela- Karela pakora  and karela peel poori is a nice way to use the left over karela peels and to feed your fussy kids with out noticing the karela in the poori or pakora. tangy stuffed karela is a different way of making karela. If you want a quick recipe then try-karela stir fry . So the bitter but very healthy karela can be deliciously cooked in so many different ways to include in your diet.

In this Achari bitter gourd I have tempered and sauteed the bitter gourd pieces in pickle spices and instead of using raw mango I have used jaggary and Tamarind pulp.To remove the bitterness and to fasten up the cooking time I have boiled the slices ,but you can steam it or just directly start cooking with out boiling it ,taste great any ways.

Achari Karela Sabzi

Bitter gourd cooked in a tangy sweet and sour sauce with pickle spices

• CourseSide dish
• CuisineUttar Pradesh Cuisine

Servings	Prep Time
5people	10minute

Cook Time

15minute

Servings Prep Time 5people 10minute

Cook Time 15minute

Ingredients

• 6 Bitter Gourd / Karelamedium size
• 2.5tbsp Jaggary / Gud
• 2tbsp Tamarind / Imlidried
• 1/2tsp Turmeric Powder / Haldi Powder
• 2tsp Red Chilli powder / Laal mirch powder
• 1tsp Coriander Powder / Dhaniya Powder
• totaste Salt / Namak

Tempering/ Tadka

• 3tbsp Mustard Oil / Sarso ka tel
• 1/2tsp Fennel Seeds / Saunf
• 1/3tsp Cumin Seeds / Sabut Jeera
• 1/3tsp Mustard Seeds / Rai
• 1/4tsp Fenugreek Seeds / Methidana
• 1/4tsp Onion seeds /Kalonji

Instructions

1. Wash,scrape the peel and slice karela into thin roundals.
2. Add 1 tbsp of salt and mix in the slices and then keep covered for 1/2 hour.
3. Now squeeze the water released from the karela slices and then wash them well with enough water and keep aside.
4. Boil 2 glasses of water in a pan and when it start boiling then add the karela slices and let i cook till half done.
5. Drain the water from the boiled karela and keep aside.
6. Soak tamarind in 3/4 cup water and then mash it and squeeze the juice and keep aside
7. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and add the tempering and let it crackle
8. Add turmeric powder in the oil and then add the karela pieces and saute for a minute.
9. Add salt ,mix and then cover the pan and cook on low heat till karela get cooked completely.
10. Add chili powder,coriandar powder,jaggary and tamarind pulp.
11. Cook on low heat till the gravy thicken.
12. Serve with rice, paratha OR roti as a side dish with your meal.

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Posted in: Indian Cook