Karela Bitter Melon Or Gourd Recipes

Steps:

• Rinse bitter melon.
• Trim on both ends as needed and scrape any blemishes or hard skin.
• Cut into small rounds.
• Heat the oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.
• Add karela almost in a single layer; stir and cook until brownish.
• Reduce the heat if they tend to burn.
• Add the onions, potatoes and all the seasonings; stir until the potatoes are cooked.
• Add the tomatoes.
• Cook slowly on medium low heat, half covered, stirring as needed, until everything is cooked.
• Variation: To make STUFFED KARELA: Mix all the seasonings for stuffing, substituting 1 teaspoon cumin powder for cumin seeds.
• Using a paring knife, make a long slit in each karela, from one end to another (leaving two ends and bottom of the pod intact).
• Keep the slit open with your thumb and use a spoon to fill the opening with the stuffing.
• Stuff all the karela this way.
• Cook karela in a wide skillet using 2 tablespoons oil, almost in a single layer, on medium heat.
• Stir gently so that stuffing does not come out.
• When half cooked, add the onions.
• Reduce heat to medium low, cooking slowly, half covered or uncovered, until karela are browned.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to about 375°F.
• Wash the bitter melon and slice them using a mandolin slicer into thin round slices.
• Mix with salt, turmeric and chilli powder and marinate for about 1/2 an hour. Squeeze excess moisture out.
• Spread foil on a baking tray and grease it with about a tbsp oil. Toss the bitter melon slices with 2 tbsp oil and spread them on the baking tray.
• Bake for about 5-7 mins and then broil it for 7 minutes Depending on the type of your oven, the broiling might be a few mins more or less. Crispy Karela -- without frying!

Steps:

• Slice each piece of bitter gourd into fairly thin half-moon shape. Transfer them to a colander and sprinkle the salt over. Shake the colander to distribute the salt evenly. Leave to rest for about an hour or so.
• Squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the bitter gourd pieces and dry them on paper towels. Transfer to a Ziploc bag or a big bowl.
• Mix the seasoning ingredients together and sprinkle over the pieces. Shake the bag or bowl so that the seasoning is distributed evenly over the pieces.
• Heat the oil in a wok, and fry the bitter gourd pieces in batches to a crisp brown. Drain on paper towels and try not to eat them all like I just did.
• Serve as an accompaniment with Indian rice dishes, or eat as a snack.

Steps:

• wash bitter gourds and remove scaly skin with a potato peeler + rub with a little salt + brown sugar. Put aside for 1 hour.
• (p.s. make sure not to peel off too much skin - it just shouldn't look green any more).
• Heat oil.
• Add onions + all spices apart from the tamarind juice.
• Sauté. DON'T burn the onions.
• When tender, remove from oil and drain the mixture.
• Cool.
• Rub off excess salt+ sugar mixture from bigger gourds or wash off and pat dry with paper towels.
• Make a slit down the bitter gourds lengthwise - remove the seeds + stuffing but don't discard.
• Stuff ½ the onion mixture inside + add the seeds (only add very little if you don't like a very bitter taste- u can also place a little tamarind juice inside each bitter gourd).
• Bind by wrapping with thread so no stuffing escapes and fry the karela till golden brown.
• In separate pan, add the remaining onion mixture + tamarind juice + a little oil + stuffed bitter gourds.
• Cover and simmer 10 minutes Serve.

Steps:

• Scrape the bitter-gourds and give a slit each lengthwise. Remove the seeds.
• Apply salt properly outside and inside the bitter-gourd. Keep aside for ½ an hour.
• Then rinse and remove as much water as possible. Take a pan, put water with 1 tbsp of tamarind, and heat it up until it evaporates, then add bitter gourds and boil for 5 minutes.
• Then drain and heat some oil and fry the bitter gourds for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Now add the onions to the pan and again fry to a golden brown, then add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to the same oil and sauté for a few minutes before adding the tomato.
• Now add the chopped tomatoes and a little water. Cook covered until tomatoes are just about done.
• Then add mince, fry and cook with some water until done. Then add green chillies, tamarind pulp, fresh coriander and garam masala powder and mix well.
• Now stuff the bitter-gourds with this stuffing. Tie each bitter-gourd with thread properly.
• Now arrange stuffed bitter gourd in remaining mince and add ¼ cup of water and cook on very low heat for 5 minutes.
• Serve with chopped fresh coriander.