Karlyachi Bhaji | Karela Sabzi |Bitter Gourd Stir Fry

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Karlyachi bhaji in English translates to Bitter Gourd stir fry and is called karela sabzi in Hindi.

This is a healthy & nutritious sabzi apt for people suffering from diabetes.

This is a vegan, beginner-friendly, diabetic-friendly recipe preparation.

About Karlyachi Bhaji (Karela Sabzi)

Karlyachi bhaji is a simple, quick and easy semi-dry vegetable recipe.

Karla also known as karela in Hindi and Bitter Gourd in English is a healthy, nutritious vegetable.

This semi-dry preparation pairs best with phulka, roti, and a side dish with meals.

Despite its bitter taste, karela is often included in Indian cuisines like curries, pickles, pakoda, and chips.

To minimize the bitter taste, often salt is applied all over karla (karela) and later the water is squeezed out of it. In doing so, some essential nutrients are also lost. So it’s up to your personal preference if one wants to marinate the karela in salt or avoid it completely.

To balance the bitterness of this sabzi, jaggery (gul) or sugar is often used along with tamarind paste and some spices.

Personally, I love to add tamarind chutney to this sabzi preparation which enhances the taste of this dish. This recipe which I am sharing today is slightly sweet, tangy and mildly bitter in taste.

This sabzi makes a perfect lunch box option along with some soft chapatis.

The main thing to remember here is to always discard the seeds from the karla (karela) as they sometimes may be a bit toxic.

Also if you are having any health-related issues then please consult your doctor before consuming this karela (karla/bitter gourd) sabzi especially for diabetics.

Recipe Video

lngredients

Karla / Karela / Bitter Gourd – To make this karla / karela sabzi we will need firm dark green coloured karela. We will need to deseed the karela completely.

Onion & Tomatoes – Onion Tomatoes makes the base for this sabzi and also adds volume to this delicious dish.

Tamarind Paste – Tamarind helps to minimise the bitterness from the karela and also adds a nice tangy taste to this sabzi. I personally like to add tamarind chutney that we use for making chaat recipes.

Sugar – Adding sugar will balance the taste of this mildly bitter karela sabzi. You can also add jaggery instead.

Spices – Spices like red chilli powder, garam masala powder, and turmeric powder are added to this sabzi.

Salt – We will require salt to coat the karela for 30 minutes which will reduce the bitterness. After 30 minutes we need to discard this water.

Oil – We will require 2 tablespoons of oil to stir-fry this vegetable.

Serving Suggestions

This delicious karlaychi ambat goad bhaji (karela sabzi) pairs well with roti and makes a perfect side dish with meals.

Storage Option

This sabzi stays good for about 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving.

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Step-by-Step Karlyachi Bhaji With Pictures

How to make Karela Sabzi

• Wash & pat dry karela. Cut them into two vertical sections.

• Using a spoon, remove all the seeds.

• Cut the karela into slices.

• Transfer the karela slices into a bowl. Add half a tablespoon of salt to reduce the bitterness.

• Mix salt with karela and set this mixture aside for 30 minutes so that karela releases its water.

• Squeeze out all the water from Karela. If you want you can again rinse the karela in water to get rid of extra salt.

• In a kadai, heat oil and add mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter.

• Add hing (asafoetida) and turmeric powder.

• Add finely chopped onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.

• Add chopped tomatoes and cook this mixture till onions are translucent & tomatoes are slightly soft.

• Add the chopped karela and mix.

• Add a tablespoon of tamarind pulp, sugar, red chilli powder, and garam masala powder. You can also add tamarind chutney here instead of pulp which gives a nice distinct taste.

• Mix all the spices well in the sabzi. Add 1/4th cup of water for the vegetable to cook.

• Cover and let the karela cook till it’s tender. Keep on stirring occasionally.

• Karlyachi bhaji (karela sabzi) is ready.

• Serve it with any flatbread or as a side dish with meals.

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