Karela or Bitter Gourd, Bitter Melon has many health benefits. The main being regulate the blood sugar and hence it is very good for diabetic patients.
These are few sites that give good information about bitter gourd and home remedies using them.
- Shilpa's - Aayi's Recipe - Home Remedies - Bitter Gourd
- Ayurvedic Cure
- Bitter Melon - Wikipedia
Ingredients - Makes 1 small glass
1 Karela Big
salt to taste
lime/lemon juice as per taste
Method
- Wash the Karela.
- Remove the seeds.
- Cut into small pieces.
- Puree it in a blender or is you have juicer you can use that. If using blender you can add little water. About 1/4 cup will do.
- If pureed using a blender, pass it through a sieve.
- Add salt and Lime/Lemon juice to the collected juice.
- Serve.
Note: This is really bitter, but the benefits are in this bitter part. I just had drop of it and could not have more my whole food pipe is reacting to it and I can feel the bitter taste all the way down. But if you have Diabeties there is no better home remedy and have it like a tonic.
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Labels: Bitter Gourd, Karela, recipes
(Stuffed Bitter Gourd Curry)
Dhaas Karela is a stuffed Karela which is deep fried and then cooked in a curry. I never heard of this till I got married. This was cooked atleast once every 2 weeks, thaough I learnt to cook it I never had the Karela I would only eat the gravy with roti. I started eating Karela's after Pooja from My Creative Ideas had the Vegetable of the Week -Bitter Gourd event, ever since Karela is loved by my husband and me.
This recipe has passed down by my husbands Grandmother who is known as Mummy by everyone. Though I never got to meet her, have heard a lot about her cooking and how innovative she was in even making the simplest dish more appealing. I am grateful to have learnt many of her creative dishes which are so simple to make but very tasty. But those recipes will be for a later date.
Every Part of the Karela is edible including the seeds and the outer skin. We will use the seeds in this recipe but dont throw away the outer skin that you peel, you can wash them dry them in the sun and deep fry them and have them as a snack or over khichidi to add some crunch.
Now for the recipe: (This recipe is for 2 people, I have used 2 Karela's, Increase the Karela and the recipe doubles well.)
Ingredients
2 Karelas
1 tbsp Wheat Flour (Atta)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 onion
1 inch ginger
3 cloves garlic (Indian garlic use 6-7)
1 green chili
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
5 peppercorns
1/2 cup fresh corriander leaves
1/4 cup mint leaves
handful of curry leaves (optional)
1 tbsp corriander powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
a pinch turmeric powder
1/2 cup curds (yogurt)
salt to taste
white sewing thread
oil for deep frying
Method
- Wash and peel the karelas. Do not throw the peels, store them seperately.
- Slit the Karelas lengthwise leaving 1/2 inch intact on the top and bottom, so that it does not open when we fill it.
- Coat the Karelas with the wheatflour, 1 tsp of salt and sugar. Dampen your hands with water while doing this to make sure the karelas are coated well.
- Cover and keep it for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, wash them thoroughly in water and dry them.
- using your hands slowly remove the seeds, making sure not to tear the Karelas.
- Grind the Karela seeds along with onions, green chilis, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, peppercorns, corriander leaves, mint leaves and curry leaves using as little water as you can.
- Pass the ground masala in the above step through a seive to remove the excess water. Store the water, do not throw it.
- Now to the seived masala, add the corriander powder, turmeric powder,chili powder and salt. Mix
- Fill the karelas with this masala and tie with the thread to secure the open slit, so that the masala does not come out while cooking it. There will be some extra Masala left behind about 1 tblsp, even if you have more does not matter but make sure there is atleast 1 tbsp. (You can remove it before you fill the Karelas)
- Deep fry the Karelas on Medium High Heat till they are Brown in color.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker, add the left over ground masala and cook till oil seperates.
- Beat the curds well.
- Add the masala water collected earlier, curds and Karela to the cooker. You can add more water if you feel there is less water.
- Close the cooker and cook for about 3 whistles.
- Let the steam out normally and then boil the curry till required consistency.
- Adjust salt. Remove the thread.
- Serve with Roti/Phulka/Chapati/Puri.
Back to Sindhi Recipe List
Labels: Bitter Gourd, corriander leaves, Curry leaves, Karela, Mint, onions, recipes, Sindhi
(Bitter Gourd Bhajji)
I normally do not eat bitter gourd, but when Pooja announced the Vegetable of the month Bitter Gourd and Mom decided to visit me, I requested her to buy just 2 Bitter Gourds since I do not get it where I stay. I told her just 2 since she is the only one who eats it. I had planned to make my Grand - Ma - In Laws Dhaas Karela recipe, which my mom loves and had been telling me to make them for her. But my mom being my mom actually cooked the karelas and came and that too lots of it. Well initially I was a little upset, but then papa told me that from when she has started making Karela this way even he has started eating it. So then I thought if Papa can eat it so can I and gave it a shot and loved it and actually wanted more, even my husband who never ate it enjoyed it and wants me to make it more often now. So thank you mom for finally getting us used to eating bitter gourd, you have succeeded. And thanks to Pooja from My Creative Ideas to chose Vegetable of the Week -Bitter Gourd for the event this month
This is my mothers recipe.
Ingredients
4 karelas
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tomato, grated
1/2 cup curds
1 tsp imli paste, dissolved in water
salt to taste
Grind To a Paste
2 big onion
1 inch ginger
2 green chillies
1 tbsp jeera
2 cardamoms
4 to 5 pepper corns
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp Poppy seeds (khus khus)
Method
- Peel the karela, cut them in about 2 inches length. Sprinkle some salt over them, mix and keep aside for 2 to 3 hours.
- After 2 to 3 hours wash them thoroughly.
- Dry them using a towel, shallow fry them till they get a golden brown color. Keep them aside.
- Add some oil in a pan, add the ground masala and cook till the oil separates.
- Add the karelas, coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder and salt.
- Beat the yogurt well and add it, fry for a minute.
- Add the tomatoes and some waters and cook till the karelas are soft.
- Add the imli paste and cook till gravy is thick.
- Serve with rotis.
Labels: Bitter Gourd, Curry, Karela, Mamas Recipe, recipes
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