Bharwa Karela: Stuffed Bitter Gourd

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If you are a vegan, then you should definitely try some Indian cuisine. There is lots of variety in the Indian vegetarian recipes. This is because a majority of people in India are vegetarian. Our recipes can turn a bitter vegetable like karela (bitter gourd) taste delicious. Bharwa Karela is a bitter gourd recipe that will totally surprise you.

You will obviously expect a bitter gourd recipe to taste bitter. But, Bharwa Karela is an Indian vegetarian recipe that has no traces of bitterness in its taste. Boil or soak the bitter gourds for Bharwa Karela in water with salt, lemon juice and turmeric. This trick takes away the bitter taste of the vegetable. Stuffed vegetables usually have elaborate recipes that take lots of time to cook. However, Bharwa Karela can be easily prepared in 30 minutes time.

Serves: 4
Preparation Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20minutes.

Ingredients

• Bitter Gourds- 6
• Turmeric-1tsp
• Lemon juice- 2tbsp
• Cumin seeds- 1tsp
• Asfoetida or hing- 1 pinch
• Fennel or saunf powder- 1tsp
• Coriander powder- 1tsp
• Red chilli powder- 1tsp
• Dry mango powder or amchur- 1tsp
• Gram flour or besan- 2tbsp
• Oil- 4tbsp
• Salt- as per taste

Procedure

1. Boil about 3 cups of water. Add salt, turmeric and lemon juice to it.

2. Cut the bitter gourd or karela length-wise and scrape the insides. Soak them in the boiling water for 20 minutes to remove the bitter taste.

3. Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan. Season it with cumin seeds and asfoetida.

4. Add the scrapings of the karela to the pan after draining away the water it was soaked in.

5. Cook for 2-3 minutes on a medium flame.

6. Then add gram flour and all the other spices namely, coriander, fennel, red chilli and dry mango powder.

7. Cook on a low flame for 7 minutes.

8. Now squeeze the bitter gourds to drain water the water it was soaked in. Stuff the filling you have prepared into it and tie it up with a thread.

9. Heat the rest of the oil in a deep bottomed pan.

10. Place the stuffed karela in it. Cover and cook on lo flame for 10 to 12 minutes.

11. Keep turning sides to ensure even cooking.

Serve bharwa karela as a side dish with dal and rice.