karela fry | bitter gourd fry | kakarakaya fry

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Karela fry recipe – Kakarakaya fry or bitter gourd fry is an easy, quick and healthy dish. This is a North Indian style karela fry recipe as I have used the spices which are generally used in North Indian cooking. Karela is also known as kakarakaya or bitter gourd or bitter melon. A vegan recipe.

If you like karela or bitter gourd then only you will like this dish. Not many people are fond of karela because of its bitter taste. i make a karela dish once in a month as it is very good for health.

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karela sabzi recipe, karela fry, bitter gourd fry, kakarakaya fry

karela bitter gourd

This is another way I make karela at home beside the Bharwan karela and the Punjabi Style karela sabji posted earlier.

These bitter gourd fry can be served as a side dish with a combination of dal rice or rasam rice or sambar rice. You can also serve them with Indian flatbreads like chapati or phulkas.

karela sabzi or karela stir fry

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Karela Fry

4.6 from 15 votes
Kakarakaya fry or bitter gourd fry is an easy and quick dish. The recipe is lightly spiced with bitter tones from the karela.
karela fry recipe, BITTER GOURD FRY RECIPE
Author:Dassana Amit
Prep Time:5 mins
Cook Time:20 mins
Total Time:25 mins
Course:side dish
Cuisine:indian,north indian
Servings (change the number to scale):2 to 3
(1 CUP = 250 ML)

Ingredients

  • 250 grams tender karela (bitter gourd or bitter melon or kakarakaya)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon fennel powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
  • ½ or 1 teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder)
  • 1 tablespoon besan (gram flour or chickpea flour)
  • 2 tablespoon oil
  • salt as required

Instructions

preparation

  • Rinse the karela in water first.
  • Slice the karela into thin round pieces.
  • You can lightly peel the skin if you want before you slice them.

making karela fry

  • Heat oil in a frying pan or kadai.
  • Add the karela slices and saute on a low or medium flame till the slices
  • Become lightly browned. Takes about 8-10 minutes. Stir in between.
  • Now add all the dry spice powders and salt.
  • Stir and saute for 5-6 mins more on a low flame.
  • Lastly add the besan and saute for some minutes till the rawness of the besan or gram flour goes away. Takes about 4-5 minutes more.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves.
  • Serve bitter gourd fry with dal-rice, kadhi-rice or sambar-rice.

Notes

  • This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Nutrition Info (approximate values)

Nutrition Facts
Karela Fry
Amount Per Serving
Calories 169 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 599mg26%
Potassium 394mg11%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 4g17%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 740IU15%
Vitamin C 105mg127%
Calcium 37mg4%
Iron 1.3mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Dassana Amit

Dassana Amitnamaste and welcome to vegrecipesofindia.com which i started in feb 2009 and is a pure vegetarian blog. i have been passionate about cooking from childhood and began to cook from the age of 10. later having enrolled in a home science degree greatly enhanced my cooking & baking skills and took it to a different level which i now share as foolproof recipes. i was formally trained both in mainstream indian as well as international cuisines.

About Dassana Amit

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34 comments/reviews

  1. Wonderful recipe, however could not get it crispy because of the powders that we add4 stars

    • add more oil and you will get a crispy texture. slow cooking is also the key to get a crisp texture. it is not due to the spice powders. add salt at the last once the karela is done. hope this helps.

  2. Tried this today and it tasted fabulous. Also very easy to make. Loved it!!4 stars

    • thanks, winnie. yes easy to make.

  3. Hi dassana,

    I made this yesterday, it turned out delicious. The best karela I ever had.
    You are blessed to create & share yummy food.
    Love, Minaz5 stars

    • welcome minaz, thanks for positive views and kind words 🙂

  4. turned out yummy…Thanks Dassana

    • welcome akila and thanks for positive views.

  5. Hi Dasani,
    Tried this recipe and turned out awesome .
    However I have one doubt . Regarding the saunf powder , I put it raw do I need to roast the saunf before powdering it. Please clarify
    Best wishes
    Padmaja4 stars

    • thanks padmaja. no need to roast the saunf powder. we always add it raw.

  6. Good Morning
    I luv Karala, tried different recipes, today I have tried your recipe , will taste for lunch and update you the feedback.
    Like the comment : “you are, what you eat2 stars

    • thanks.

  7. Hi Dassana,
    Thanks for the recipe it’s easy to make and tasty too…thanks a lot.4 stars

    • welcome and thankyou rahul 🙂

  8. Hi Dassana,
    Hope you’re doing well. Made this karela recipe today for in-laws. They ate but guess wanted it Oriya style where it’s crispy fried I believe. Can you help me with a variation which can help me achieve crispy fried karela something like a papad.
    Many many thanks in advance 🙂
    Warm regards.

    • these ones are not that crisp. for a crisp texture, you have to deep fry the slices. you can also add some rice flour and coat them well with the karela slices.

      • Thanks for the tip dassana. Tried this today. Was planning to fry them on tava for less oil consumption, but had to deep fry finally. The rice flour made a huge difference. Thanks again ?

        • welcome anindita.

  9. Your veg receipes are so good with perfect instructions can we have some non veg recipes too!!!!

    • thanks vicky. we only cook vegetarian food at home.

  10. I wanted a quick and easy recipe for karela today. I am so glad I found your blog and this recipe! Just finished my lunch comprising karela made the way you have taught. It was great! I only made on change. I microwaved the cut karela first before stir frying.
    I first tasted the karela when it was just done frying. It was so bitter I nearly cried. I have typically used recipes where a lot of effort goes into removing the bitterness from the karela. So I was thinking may be I made a mistake in not doing any of that. But by the time I put the besan and cooked it the dish tasted fantastic! I was completely surprised. Thanks a million! I am going to share this recipe with my mom now and brag. 😀5 stars

    • welcome garima. thanks for sharing your experience and giving this positive review on karela recipe. one of the healthiest veggie to eat. glad to read your feedback. i am sure it will motivate other readers to try this easy karela recipe.

  11. Excellent recipes and easy to make with whatever we have at home. Never thought I would make hotel dishes like palak paneer ..paneer butter masala at home so easily…thanks a ton for coming up with this website.
    Would like to see more and more variety coming in. Happy new year.

    • welcome padmaja. nice to know that blog is helping you in cooking delicious meals at home. wishing happy new year to you too.

  12. Hi, i actually want to search according to the veg. i have, i think im not getting that option in your blog, please help.
    How can i find dishes with particular vegetable, where should i type it???
    Siris

    • sirisha, the search button is right at the top.

  13. Really nice as I like Karela so try soon

  14. This was fantastic, and so easy to make. Thank you.

    • welcome mary

  15. Very Nice Dish Its A Watering Felling hehehehe 🙂 … <3
    ill Make it today .5 stars

  16. Karela is the one of the most popular and healthful Recipe of the India .thanks’ for sharing information to make karela sabzi or karela stir fry.

    • thanks

  17. in mauritius, the typical stir-fry of karela or bitter gourd is very simple with ingredients 1 medium onion, 2 tomatoes and 1 chili. the salted karela are fried and then stir-fried with the tomatoes,onion and chili.simple, quick and easy….try it the mauritian way..so delicious

    • thanks gavnisha for the mauritian way. i will try.