Stuffed Karela Indian Recipe

Karela is also known as bitter melon, bitter cucumber and bitter gourd. It is bitter in taste so people dislike it. But when it is cooked correctly it can be a delicious and also very nutritious. For easy and quick recipes of stuffed Karela, refer the following article.

Karela is one vegetable not everyone enjoys to eat yet it is widely used in Indian cooking. Karela has lot of medicinal properties too. Karela is used as a medicine for diabetics from olden days. It is rich in potassium and other essential vitamins. So it is worth working it into your diet. Karela comes in a diversity of shapes and sizes. It helps to purify blood tissue, enhances digestion and stimulates the liver. Young bitter gourds which do not have hard seeds are the best for cooking. By putting the cut pieces in boiled water with salt for 5 minutes, the bitterness of Karela can be abridged to some extent.

Recipes of Stuffed Karela:

Stuffed Masala Karela Recipe:

• 1/2 tsp. ginger grated
• 4 Healthy firm bitter gourds
• 1/2 tsp. garlic crushed
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 ping pong sized ball tamarind
• 1 tomato finely chopped
• 1 ping pong sized ball jaggery
• 1 stalk curry leaves
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. black masala powder
• 1 tbsp. peanuts crushed
• 1/2 tsp. each mustard & cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. red chilli powder
• 1 tsp. dhania powder
• 2 tbsp. oil
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves to garnish.
• Salt for rubbing gourds

Method of preparation:

First of all scrape bitter gourds lightly and make vertical slits along each gourd. Take away ripe seeds and run salt all over gourds. Keep aside for 1 hour. Wash well in running water. Boil plenty of water and drop in washed gourds. Boil uncovered till gourds are soft but not mushy. Drain it and wash well again. On kitchen towel pat it dry. Then combine all dry masalas, salt, peanuts, ginger and garlic. Stuff each gourd with the mixture and cut it into 1 inch thick slices. Heat the oil and add curry leaves, mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add asafoetida and onions, stir till it becomes transparent. Soak tamarind and jaggery in 1/2 cup water till soft. Add tomatoes and add jaggery pulp. Add gourd slices and water. Cover and cook till gravy gets thick and oil starts to ooze.

Potato Stuffed Karela:

Ingredients:

• 3-4 medium size karelas
• 1 large finely chopped onion
• 3 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 1 finely chopped tomato
• 2 potatoes; boiled, peeled and grated/mashed
• 1/2 tsp rai
• 1 finely chopped green chilli
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp jeera
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp garam Masala
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp amchoor
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander powder
• 1 tbsp cream
• Salt to taste
• A thread for tying the Karelas
• Oil for roasting and frying

Method of preparation:

First of all peel the karelas, wash them, spread some salt over them and set them aside. Take a pan, heat some oil, add mustard seeds, when they splutter add jeera. Then add onions and saute till they turn soft. After that add desiccated coconut and roast for few more minutes. Then add turmeric, red chilli, coriander and cumin powders and fry for a minute. Now add chopped tomatoes and cook till the mixture is very soft and starts leaving little oil. Add mashed potatoes, garam masala, amchoor, coriander leaves, salt and mix well. Take away from flame and then add some cream. Mix well and the stuffing is ready.

Wash the karelas once again and fill the stuffing into each one. Tie each karela using thread to seal it, so that the stuffing stays intact in them. If some stuffing is left, set it aside, it can be used to make gravy afterward. In a kadhai or in a shallow pan, heat oil for frying and fry the karelas evenly from all sides till they are cooked and turn brown. To remove excess oil, drain on paper towels. Untie the thread. To prepare the gravy, add the mixture in the same kadhai, add some water and bring to boil. Then drop the stuffed fried karelas into it. Serve hot with parathas or dal-rice.

Stuffed Karela:

Ingredients:

• 4 medium size Karelas
• 1 finely chopped Onion
• 1 Tbsp Coriander, chopped
• 2 cloves finely chopped Garlic
• 1finely chopped green chili
• 1/2 inch finely chopped Ginger
• 2 tsp Besan
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• Cumin seeds
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Amchur
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
• Hing
• Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

Wash kerala thoroughly with water and remove the skin of all the pieces by scraping with a sharp knife. Keep the skin aside. Slit the karelas length wise. Remove the seeds if very hard; otherwise mix them with the skin scrape. Take 1 tsp salt and apply it thoroughly on all the pieces of karelas. Keep aside for about 1 hour. Mix 1 tsp salt to karela skin and keep aside for 1 hour. Take a non sticking frying pan and add 2 tsp oil. When the oil becomes hot, add cumin seeds and hing. When the seeds become dark, add onion, green chili, ginger and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add all the spices and besan. Stir well and cook until the mixture turns light brown, about 5-7 minutes. Mix half the coriander leaves. Take the karela skin in a sieve and wash thoroughly with water. Add it to the washed skin scrape above mixture and stir. Wash the karelas with water. Fill the above mixture in each karela. Heat a non sticking frying pan and spray oil. Place all the karelas in the pan, cover with a lid and reduce the stove to low. Let them cook for 5-7 minutes. Change the side of karelas and again cover with the lid. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle coriander leaves.

Video of karela fry (bitter melon) from youtube:

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