Punjabi Bharwan Karela - Stuffed bitter gourd

Punjabi bharwan karela - Bittergourds stuffed with a spicy and tangy onion masala, fried until they become crispy and tender. One of the best ways to use bitter gourd in your meals.

Bitter gourds are not the favourite veggie for many, especially kids. But they are one of the highly nutritious veggies available out there. Intaking them regularly is good for health. So today's recipe feature bitter gourd as the star ingredient. Yet another exotic and rare recipe from the Punjab region. Stuffed with aromatic masala and pan fried until they become crispy.

It is a bit time consuming but the end product is worth every minute spent. Serve this with rice or roti or phulkas.

 

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Punjabi Bharwan Karela - Stuffed bitter gourd

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

Punjabi Bharwan Karela - Deep fried bitter gourd stuffed with a spicy and tangy onion peanut masala.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Punjabi

Servings: 5 pieces

Author: Nisha

Ingredients

• 6 medium sized bitter gourd
• Salt to rub

For the stuffing

• 500 grams onions, finely chopped (about 2.5 cups)
• 2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 2 tablespoon peanuts, crushed
• 1 tablespoon besan (gram flour)
• Coriander leaves

Instructions

1. Scrape the outer skin of the bitter gourd with a back of the knife or a spoon. Slit vertically to create a opening. Do not half. Spread it a little and scrape the inside clean. Remove the seeds and white part. Handle it gently so that it does not break into two. 

2. Then rub salt on the inside and outside of the bitter gourd. Leave it aside for 20 minutes. Then wash them well in cold water. Squeeze the excess water out and pat them dry gently. 

Stuffing

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan over medium high. Once it is hot, add the onions, garlic and little salt. Let it sweat and the onions turn golden brown. 

2. Once it softens, add besan and all the spice powders. Keep stirring until the onions brown nicely. Sprinkle the crushed peanuts on top and coriander leaves. Let it cool. 

Stuffing the karela

1. Now, carefully stuff the filling inside each bitter gourd and tie them with a string, so that it does not fall apart. 

2. Heat oil in a cast iron pan (or any heavy bottomed pan). Place the stuffed bitter gourd carefully in a single layer. Keep turning and cook them until they brown on all sides. Keep the flame low to medium. 

3. Remove and drain the excess oil. Serve them with roti or phulkas. 

Recipe Notes

Scraping the sides and removing the seeds helps in removing the bitterness of the bitter gourd. Rubbing salt also does the same. But, keep in mind, the bitterness cant be removed completely. 

This post is for Blogging Marathon 88 under the theme “Regional cuisine”. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM #88 here.