10 simple bitter gourd or karela recipes to include in your diet plan

Bitter gourd or karela is known for its varied health benefits; however it isn’t a vegetable that is liked by many, especially due to its unique bitter flavour. Whether you like it or not, it is wise to include it in your diet one way or the other for its rich health benefits. Here are few interesting ways you can include bitter gourd or karela in your diet. Here are some amazing health benefits of bitter gourd or karela that you should know. Also Read - Why pregnant women should avoid eating bitter gourd or karela?

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#1 Karele ki sabzi: Karela sabzi is often cooked in most Indian homes making it a healthy side dish to go with rotis or dal-rice. Also Read - Beat the summer heat with these cooling foods

How to prepare: Wash and cut 250 gm karelas into medium-sized pieces and remove their seeds. You can either cut them in circles or slice them. Take two medium-sized onions, peel and chop them. Heat oil in a pan till it sends out smoke. Lower the flame and sprinkle cumin and mustard seeds, allow them to crackle for a few seconds and add the chopped onions. Saut onions till they turn golden brown. Next, add the sliced karelas and mix well. Add salt, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder, red chilli powder and mix with the vegetables thoroughly. Close the pan with a lid and allow the karela to cook for a few minutes. However, keep stirring in between to prevent it from getting burnt. Avoid adding water to the sabzi. When the keralas turn tender add amchur or dry mango powder and mix well. Remove it from the flame and garnish it with coriander leaves. If you wish you can also add a spoonful of badam powder to your dish. Know why bitter gourd or karela is considered a natural pill for diabetics.

#2 Karela masala: This is another way of making karele ka sabzi with a tangy twist.

How to prepare: Wash and cut 250 gm karelas into small pieces and pressure cook them till you hear one whistle. Remember to release the pressure soon after you remove it from the flame, because too much steam can make the karelas soft and lose its texture. Next, in a pan or kadai add oil and heat it for few minutes. To this, add one chopped onion and saut , when it changes colour to golden brown add chopped ginger and garlic. Once the entire mixture turns brown in colour, add one-and-half chopped tomatoes and keep stirring till it is partially cooked. Then add salt, turmeric, garam masala, red chilli powder and other spices of your choice along with the boiled karelas and mix well. Allow the karelas to cook for 10 minutes keeping the lid closed. Once the keralas are mixed well and are coated with the masala and spices, remove the pan from flame. Sprinkle coriander for garnishing and serve hot. Here are ten reasons why you need to add coriander leaves in your dishes.

#3 Karela fry: If you love eating the vegetable then karela fry can help make your mundane dal-rice taste better being a great side dish. In fact, karela fry is also a good companion for sambhar-rice or kadhi-rice.

How to prepare: Wash and cut 250 gm karelas and sprinkle salt, turmeric powder, garam masala and red chilli powder on them and mix well. You can peel its skin before cutting if you want to. Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped karelas to it. Saut on a low flame till it turns brown in colour. Keep stirring in between. Next, again add a pinch of all the dry spices and salt and mix well. When the karelas turn brown and tender sprinkle besan or gram flour and keep stirring till the rawness of besan is gone. Remove from flame and sprinkle lime juice and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

#4 Stuffed karela: This preparation, if made with little care, can even become a favourite for people who detest karela.

How to prepare: Take five to six small or medium-sized karelas, wash and scrape them. Slit the karelas, remove the scrapings and discard the seeds. Keep the scrapings aside and mix it with salt. Next, add salt to the karelas and keep them aside for half-an-hour. Later, wash the karelas thoroughly to get rid of the bitter taste and remove excess salt. Next, in a pan or kadai heat some oil and add one chopped and minced onions. Saut for a while and mix it with ginger-garlic paste and cook for two to three minutes. When the colour changes to light brown, add half of the scraping and keep saut ing for few more minutes. Add spices of your choice along with dry mango powder. Mix the spices well and remove the stuffing from the flame. Stuff the karelas with this stuffing and deep fry them. Once the karelas are fried well and turn deep brown in colour, remove them and keep aside on a plate and drain excess oil with the help of a tissue paper. In another pan, heat oil and add half of a chopped onion to it. Saut till light brown in colour and add dry spices along with the remaining karela scrapings. When the onions are well cooked add the deep fried stuffed karelas to the pan and allow them to cook for two to three minutes keeping the lid closed. Remove from the flame and serve hot. Here is another stuffed pepper recipe that you would love to try.

#5 Karele ka dal: This is one easy and simple way to eat karela in disguise and still reap its benefits.

How to prepare: Wash and soak 500 gm yellow moong dal in a bowl. Cut half-a-bottle gourd into medium-sized pieces and wash them thoroughly. In a pressure cooker, add the dal, bottle gourd, water, salt, turmeric powder and close the lid. Allow the dal to cook in medium flame till you hear two whistles. Meanwhile, wash and cut four or five medium-sized karelas and mix them with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Heat oil in a pan and fry them till golden brown. Remove them from the pan and keep them aside. Heat a more oil in the pan and add kalongi or black sesame seeds and wait till it stops spluttering. Next, add one spoon of ginger paste, garam masala, coriander powder, red chilli powder, salt and saut for a while. To this, add the fried karelas and mix well. Pour the entire contents of the pan into the pressure cooker and mix it with the boiled dal. Allow the dal to boil for five minutes and take it out of the flame. If you wish you can also add a spoonful of almond powder to it.

#6 Karela in mustard sauce: This is an easy and quick dish that can be made within minutes and leaves a lingering aftertaste.

How to prepare: Wash and pat dry 250 gm karelas and cut them into small pieces and mix with salt and turmeric powder. Next, heat oil in a pan and fry the karelas till they turn deep brown in colour. Make mustard paste with half-cup mustard a pinch of khus-khus, one green chilli and water in a mixer. Heat oil in a pan and add kalonji or black sesame seeds to it. Then pour the mustard paste in the pan and keep stirring. Add dry spices like coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, salt and keep saut ing. Add the fried karelas to this and stir well. Allow it to cook for a few minutes and remove from the flame. Avoid adding garam masala and dry mango powder to this preparation.

#7 Karela mixed vegetable: If you don’t like to have karela as a prime vegetable in your dish, try mixed karela vegetable. However, know that karela will not mix well with all varieties of vegetables so you need to be choosy about them.

How to prepare: Chop three to four medium-sized karelas and discard its seeds. Next, cut potatoes, capsicum, eggplant and pumpkin in equal proportions, wash and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and add kalongi or black sesame seeds, mustard and cumin seeds. When the seeds stop spluttering add to it chopped tomatoes and saut till they are partially cooked. Add all the dry spices like garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt and dry mango powder and mix well. To this, add all the cut vegetables and mix with the spices. Add water and cover the pan with a lid. Allow it to cook for around 15 minutes. However, keep stirring the vegetables in between to keep a check on them. When the water is absorbed completely by the vegetables remove it from the flame.

#8 Khatta meetha karela: This preparation brings a balance of sweetness and sourness to the bitter karela making every one devour it with joy, well almost.

How to prepare: Take some medium or small sized karelas and slit it s both ends. Wash and slit the karelas vertically. With a spoon remove the seeds and keep the karelas aside. If you want you can cut them to a size you prefer. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin and mustard seeds to it. Once they stop spluttering add curry leaves, green chillies and one chopped onion, saut for two minutes and add one spoon of ginger-garlic paste to this. Add salt, turmeric, mango powder, garam masala, red chilli powder and mix well. You can also add other spices of your choice. Add a little water and allow the mixture to cook for a while. Next, add the karela pieces and stir well. Then add one spoon tamarind paste or one-fourth cup tamarind water and allow the karelas to cook till soft. In the end, add jaggery and allow it to melt and caramelise. When done remove from the flame and garnish with fresh green coriander leaves.

#9 Karela pickle: Pickles, when had in excess, aren t healthy, but bitter gourd or karela pickle can still be beneficial when had with your regular dal-chawal.Here is why having pickles in excess bad for your health.

How to prepare: Wash and cut five medium sized karelas into small pieces and discard their seeds. Sprinkle salt on them, mix well and keep it aside for 30 minutes. Then drain all the salt water from the karelas and wash thoroughly with fresh water to get rid of its bitterness. In a pan, heat oil till it sends out smoke and then add fenugreek and mustard seeds to it. When they stop spluttering add thinly sliced garlic six to seven cloves and fry till golden brown. Add three slit green chillies and fry for next five minutes and add the bitter gourd pieces. Allow it to cook for few minutes in medium flame and add vinegar and salt to it. Lower the flame and sprinkle red chilli powder. Mix it well and allow the pickle to cook for few more minutes till the karelas turns tender. Remove it from the flame and store it in a sterilised glass jar. You can keep it stored in a refrigerator and use it after two to three days. Karela pickle, when kept in the fridge, can stay up to 6 months.

#10 Karela juice: If you don’t like to eat karela and still want to enjoy the benefits offered by this bitter veggie, try karela juice instead.

How to prepare: Wash and cut at least two karelas into small pieces and put them in a mixer add a little water to it and mix them in high speed for a minute. Remove the contents from the mixer into a strainer and squeeze out all the juice in a bowl. Before having the juice you can squeeze half a lemon to it and add a pinch of salt to lessen its bitter taste. Here are a few reasons why you should have a glass full of karela juice to stay healthy.

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Published : January 8, 2015 6:31 pm | Updated:February 4, 2015 10:57 pm

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