اَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمن الرَّحِيْمِ
Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaathu everyone!
Karela curry is made up of bitter gourd pieces that have been shallow fried then mixed with spices. This is a vegetarian (and vegan) curry that my dad absolutely loves. You probably may not have even heard of bitter gourd but if you’re part of a Pakistani household, you probably don’t need me to be explain to you what they are. Bitter gourd is a vegetable that is grown in the sub-tropics. It is usually a dark green colour with a knobbly skin. I’ve never actually seen it in these major chain retail superstores like TESCO and Sainsbury’s. I always get it from my local Pakistani grocery store.
This curry is my dad’s absolute favourite to eat. Only problem is none of us kids like it. It’s more of an acquired taste. Or if you’re over the age of 30 then you’ll probably like it (no offence). Actually, with that being said my 9-year-old cousin loves this curry but he is a rather strange person (joke!).
You can actually skip the first few steps of brining the karela pieces and frying them. The purpose behind the brining is to remove the excess water so you end up with a less bitter curry in the end. My dad quite likes the bitter taste, so I usually skip that step if I am only making it for my dad. The frying is done to make the karele crispier, but that step can also be skipped. Obviously if you skip this step then you will have to cook the curry for slightly longer.
This karela ki sabji is the perfect vegetarian challenge for your next curry night!
Karela Curry
This bitter gourd / bitter melon, otherwise known as karela, recipe is a vegetarian curry that will be suitable for everyone. Karele ki sabji is a bitter gourd recipe that involves frying the bitter gourd and then mixing with an array of spices. Also known as kakarakaya this karela ki sabji will surely impress all your friends and family. Serve with homemade chapatti or basmati rice for the perfect pairing!
Ingredients
- 500g Bitter Gourd/Karela
- 1 tsp Salt/Namak x2
- 50ml Vegetable Oil
- 2 Onions/Pyaz (finely diced)
- 3 Tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 tsp. Turmeric Powder/Haldi
- 1 tsp. Coriander Powder/Dhaniyaa Powder
- 1 tsp. Chilli Powder/Laal Mirch Powder
- 50ml Warm Water
- 1 Green Chilli (finely chopped)
Directions
- Remove the ends of the bitter gourd and cut into half
- Using a teaspoon remove the seeds and cut into 1cm thick slices
- Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the karela pieces
- Leave to brine for at least 30-45 minutes
- Squeeze out the excess water and then wash off the remaining salt
- In a pan add the vegetable oil
- Heat the oil up and shallow fry the karela pieces until the edges are lightly browned
- Once fried remove the pieces and set aside
- In the same pan add the finely diced onions
- Cook the onions for 5-10 minutes until softened
- Add the fried karela pieces the cook on medium heat for 10 minutes
- Add the chopped tomatoes and salt
- Cook for 5-10 minutes until softened
- Add the turmeric powder, coriander powder and chilli powder
- Cook the spices on low heat for 10 minutes
- Add the 50ml water and cook the spices for a further 10-15 minutes on a medium heat
- Add the chopped green chillies then cook for 10 minutes
- Your karela curry is ready!
