KHATTA-MEETHA KARELA/BITTER GOURD WITH SWEET-SOUR FLAVOUR

July 31, 2023

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KHATTA-MEETHA KARELA/BITTER GOURD WITH SWEET-SOUR FLAVOUR

Sweet, sour, and bitter all three taste buds are satisfied with such an amazing sabzi prepared with summer special karela or bitter gourd. Many People especially kids turn their noses on seeing the karela sabzi when served with the meal. But trust me, karela cooked this way, will persuade them to try at once

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Karela /bitter gourd sabzi is frequently cooked as a side dish in my kitchen. I always cook this with peels on it as most of its nutrition lies in them. Although karela is exceedingly bitter to eat but if it is marinated with salt and turmeric powder, most of its bitterness is gone

I mostly cook karela sabzi with aloo and pyaz slices that help to balance the bitterness. This time I have kept it differently unique with a hint of sweet and sour flavours. The unique flavours come with jaggery and raw mangoes respectively. Raw mangoes are in season so I have used them taking advantage.

Prep Time – 15 Minutes
Cook Time – 15 minutes
Course Main (side dish)
Cuisine – North India
Author – Bharti Dhawan

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED

• Karela/Bitter gourd – 300 gms
• Large onion(roughly chopped) – 1 no
• Garlic cloves (roughly chopped) – 4-5
• Raw mango (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp
• Jaggery/gur (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp
• Salt/Namak – 2+ 1 tsp
• Mustard Oil
• Water – 2-3 tbsp

WHOLE AND POWDERED SPICES
• Turmeric/Haldi powder – 1+1 tsp
• Coriander/Dhania powder – 2 tsp
• Red chilly powder/Lal mirch – 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
• Cumin/Jeera – 1 tsp
• Fennel seeds/Saunf – 1 tsp
• Asafoetida/Hing – 1/4 tsp

PREPARATIONS TO BE DONE

1- Firstly, rinse and chop the karela finely with their peels. ( Advised to choose the small and tender karela with softer seeds)

2- When karela is chopped, add 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp Turmeric powder. Rub and coat the karela pieces with them and keep at rest for 10 minutes

3- Chop finely raw mango and jaggery. Keep them aside

4 – Chop roughly onion and garlic. Keep them aside

5 – When karela chips are marinated, rinse them with fresh water, so that bitterness is gone away.

6- Squeeze them to drain extra water and keep them aside

HOW TO MAKE KHATTA-MEETHA KARELA

1 – Heat mustard oil in a kadahi up to the smoking point

2 – When heated oil, reduce the flame and add jeera/cumin and saunf/fennel. Allow them to crackle and add heeng powder

3 – Next, add squeezed karela chips and roast(bhunow) at medium-high flame. Turn them at intervals

4 – When karela chips are fried to light brown, take them out of the oil and keep them aside

5 – Now add chopped onions and garlic to the remaining oil. Saute them for 1-2 minutes at high flame. Avoid overcooking them to retain the crunch

6 – Add chopped raw mangoes to the onions and saute them together with the onions

7 – Time to add salt and all the powdered spices mentioned above. Stir nicely

8- Add 2-3 tbsp of water to prevent the spices from burning

9 – Now add fried karela chips and combine all the ingredients.

10- Cover the pan for 3-4 minutes to bring all the flavours together

11- Finely add chopped jaggery (gur) and mix well with cooked karela. Avoid overcooking otherwise the jaggery will become charred (jaggery melts in the heat of karela and leaves a pleasant sweet note)