Karela (Bitter gourd) Sabzi/ Maharashtrian style Karlyachi bhaji

This is a Maharashtrian style karela sabzi or karlyachi bhaji. 

One of my friends shared this sabzi and recipe long back. Today when I was thinking of making karela different way; I thought of trying this. It’s easy and requires very few ingredients.

Any preparation of bitter gourd will have a pronounced bitter taste and it should be. It is not easy to mask bitter taste but it plays well with well-chosen ingredients. But do try this and I am sure you will make it again.

This particular preparation which uses tangy tamarind, sweet jaggery and spices is a classic example of Marathi cuisine.

I have one more karela reciepe on my blog, Stuffed karela sabzi. It is completely different and equally tasty. 

Step by step recipe of Karela/bitter gourd stir fry:

Wash 2 medium sized bitter gourds thoroughly. Chop off both the ends and peel them.

Cut into small rounds. Scoop out seeds from karela rounds with the help of a spoon or tip of a knife.

Sprinkle ½ tbsp. salt to these chopped pieces. The salt makes the bitter gourd release some juice and it takes away some bitterness. This step is optional but highly recommended. Keep it aside for 10 minutes.

Pour in 2 cups of water in a pan and bring it boil. Let the water come to rolling boil; add bitter gourd/karela pieces by removing all the water. If you like squeeze out the water as much as you can without breaking the rounds.

Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until karela becomes tender.

By the time the karela is boiling, I chopped 1 onion, grate 1 inch piece ginger(1 tsp), 3 tbsp jaggery pieces and get the other ingredients ready.

Now in a kadhai/heavy bottom pan, heat some oil. I use peanut oil and it works really well for this dish. For tadka, add ¼ tsp mustard seeds, ¼ tsp cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida/hing to the oil, once it is hot.

Add one medium sized, finely chopped onion and cook until onions become soft.

Add ½ tsp grated ginger and cook up for another minute.

Add ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ½ to 1 tsp red chili powder(adjust as per taste), ½ tsp garam masla and cook for another minute.

Add 2 tbsp. tamarind pulp and 3 tbsp. jaggery and mix.

Add drained boiled karela/bitter gourd rounds and mix well. Add very little salt as per taste. Remember we have already used salt initially. So adjust accordingly.

Mix everything well. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Serve hot with roti, paratha or dal rice.

Below is the printable version of this recipe.

Karela sabzi recipe below:

Karela sabzi  Prep time Cook time Total  15 min  25 min  40 min Karela stir fry- a sautéed cury of bitter gourd, flavored with tamarind and jaggery. AUTHOR: Monali RECIPE TYPE: side CUISINE: Maharashtrian SERVES: 2 INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup=237 ml) 2 medium sized karela/karla/bitter gourd 1 Onion, finely chopped 1 inch ginger, grated (½ tsp) 2 tbsp. Oil A pinch of Asafoetida/hing ¼ tsp Mustard/ rai ¼ tsp Cumin seeds/jeera ¼ tsp Turmeric powder/haldi ½ to 1 tsp Red chili powder (adjust as per taste) ½ tsp Garam masala 2 tbsp. Tamarind pulp 3 tbsp. Jaggery/gudh/gur 1 tbsp. fresh coriander, chopped  DIRECTION If you are using readymade tamarind pulp/paste, skip this step. Else, in a small bowl add 1 tbsp. tamarind and some water. Microwave it for 10 seconds and let it sit aside. Wash bitter gourds and cut into small rounds. Scoop out seeds from karela rounds with the help of a spoon or tip of a knife. Add ½ tbsp. salt to these chopped pieces. The salt makes the bitter gourd release some juice and it takes away some bitterness. This step is optional but highly recommended. Meanwhile, chop onion finely and grate the ginger piece. Pour in 2 cups of water in a pan and bring it boil. Let the water come to rolling boil, add bitter gourd/karela pieces by removing all the water. If you like squeeze out the water as much as you can without breaking the rounds. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until karela becomes tender. Now in a kadhai/heavy bottom pan, heat some oil. I use peanut oil and it works really well for this dish. For tadka, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing to the oil, once it is hot. Add finely chopped onion and cook until onions become soft. Add grated ginger and cook up for another minute. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masla and cook for another minute. Add tamarind pulp and jaggery and mix. Add drained boiled karela/bitter gourd rounds and mix well. Add little salt as per taste. Remember we have already used salt initially. So adjust accordingly. Mix everything well and cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Lastly garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander. NOTES Adjust the amount of jaggery as per your taste. SERVING SUGGESTION Enjoy it hot with fulka or paratha, or as a side with dal rice.