Bitter Gourd Pickle | Bitter Melon Pickle (Karela Pickle)

bitter gourd pickle recipe, karela pickle recipe

4.84 from 6 votes

Bitter Gourd Pickle | Bitter Melon Pickle (Karela Pickle)

This Bitter Gourd Pickle recipe also known as Karela Pickle is easy and quick to make. It is made with tender Bitter Melon slices cooked and pickled in a mix of mustard oil, spices and vinegar.

Prep Time40

Cook Time15

Total Time55

Course: Condiment, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings: small jar

Calories: 688kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

250 grams bitter gourd (karela or bitter melon)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
150 ml apple cider vinegar a little more than ½ cup or about 10 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
60 ml mustard oil about ¼ cup or 4 tablespoons, swap with sesame oil instead - regular sesame oil and not the Asian one
½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
8 to 9 garlic cloves - peeled or thinly sliced
5 to 6 green chilies - slit
salt as required

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Firstly, rinse the bitter gourd well. If there are bruises on the skin, then you can slightly peel off that part. No need to peel the entire bitter gourd.
Slice the bitter gourd vertically and remove the seeds. Chop the bitter gourd into small pieces.
Sprinkle some salt on the chopped bitter gourd and mix well. Keep this bitter gourd-salt mixture aside for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, squeeze the salted bitter gourd and discard the juices. Rinse once again in fresh water. Drain all the water and set the bitter gourd slices aside.
On medium-low to medium flame, in a pan, heat mustard oil till it starts smoking. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and fry till the seeds crackle.
Add sliced garlic and fry for 10 to 12 seconds. Then, add green chilies and fry for 30 seconds.
Next, add chopped bitter gourd and sauté for 7 to 8 minutes on low to medium-heat.
Add white vinegar and salt. Stir and bring the pickle mixture to a boil. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add red chili powder. Stir again and switch off the heat. Set the pan aside and let the mixture cool.
Cover the pan with a cotton napkin instead of lid as we don't want condensation droplets on the lid.
When completely cooled, pour the Bitter Gourd Pickle in a clean sterilized jar.
Close the jar with its lid and keep it in the refrigerator.
Serve Karela Pickle with an Indian meal like dal-rice, sambar-rice, curd rice or kadhi-rice.

Notes

Use tender and green bitter melons. Do not use bitter gourd which have ripened. Ripe bitter melons will have a yellow outer and an orange or red color from within.
Note that the approximate nutrition info is for the entire bitter gourd pickle made from this recipe.

Nutrition