A easy and tasty karela masala recipe. A classic dish which is common in parts of south East Asia. The vegetable more commonly known as bitter gourd and in Bangladesh known as korola and the dish ‘korola bhaji’. I’ll have to be very honest that I never really had this vegetable growing up at home. It always looked pretty fascinating with all the prickly skin and shape it had but truth is I never really had a taste of it. I just knew it had a very bitter taste and I guess mom never cooked it much either. Well until very recently when she once visited me and my hubby bought home a whole selection of Indian vegetables from the Indian grocers. Bitter gourd was in the bag too and I wasn’t sure quite why??? Well mom was quick to notice my face and told me how she had a exciting recipe for Korola and was ready to make it in no time. To my surprise the korola bhaji was really good especially knowing how bitter this vegetable is and hence the reason why I always avoided it. But the bitterness was definitely tolerable and the masala complemented the vegetable really well. The bitter gourd was deep fried and cooked with onions and tomatoes in a blend of spices. The korola dish definitely looked appetizing with the mix of colors.

A few tips on how to prepare the karela/bitter gourd

Thoroughly rinse the bitter gourd with water and pat dry. Using a potato peeler very lightly take off some of the prickly skin. Do not peel off the whole skin, just the lightest peel to take some of the outer layer. Then cut the bitter gourd along the length through the middle and scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Finely slice the bitter gourd so you end up with pretty much ‘c’ shaped pieces.

To help reduce the bitterness of the vegetable it’s ideal to add a good heaped tablespoon of salt to the sliced up bitter gourd. In a bowl mix the salt in well with the bitter gourd and leave aside for 15-20 minutes.

After 20 minutes using your hand squeeze the bitter gourd to release the water it has collected from the salt. Transfer the bitter gourd to a bowl or plate to use later.

Cooking process for easy and tasty karela masala recipe

Add oil to a large pan or wok and deep fry the bitter gourd until golden brown. Transfer fried bitter gourd to a bowl or plate. In the same pan using just a smaller quantity of the left over oil add in sliced onions, ginger/garlic paste and salt and cook until golden. Add in chopped tomatoes and cook until the onions and tomatoes start to soften. The tomatoes really bring out the flavors to this dish, so extra tomatoes will make this dish even tastier! Then add in spices, which include turmeric, chili, coriander powder. Cook the spices for a minute or two until some of the oil comes to the surface of the pan. Now it is time to add in the fried bitter gourd. Stir in well and cook covered for 2-3 minutes on a medium flame. Uncover and add in some green chilies, stir again and cook uncovered on a medium low heat for an additional 4-5 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro just before taking it off the heat. Enjoy karela/korola masala with steamed white rice!

Any leftovers will stay good in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

A easy and tasty Karela masala recipe

Recipe by Shema Course: SidesCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Karela masala recipe

Ingredients

• 4-5 karela’s/bitter gourd

• 1 tablespoon of salt to mix in with karela

• 1/2 cup of oil for frying karela

• 1 large onion finely sliced

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 1 teaspoon of ginger/garlic paste

• 4 small tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes chopped or sliced

• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder

• 1 teaspoon of chili powder

• 1/2 teaspoon of coriander powder

• 3-4 green chili’s cut across the length

• Handful of fresh chopped cilantro

Directions

• Thoroughly wash karela/bitter gourd and pat dry
• Using a potato peeler ever so lightly peel some of the prickly skin but do not take off the entire skin, just a rough peel
• Cut karela/bitter gourd across the length through the middle and scoop out the seeds using a spoon (discard the seeds)
• Finely slice the karela/bitter gourd (they should look like c-shaped pieces)
• Add the sliced karela into a bowl with a heaped tablespoon of salt. Using your hand mix in the salt with the karela and leave aside for 15-20 minutes (this will help to reduce the bitterness from the vegetable
• After 20 minutes using your hand squeeze out the excess water which has been soaked in by the salt and transfer to another bowl
• Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a large wok or frying pan and fry bitter gourd in two batches on a medium high flame until golden brown
• Using a slotted spoon drain the bitter gourd into bowl or plate and leave aside
• Using the remaining oil in pan, about 3-4 tablespoons, add in the sliced onions, ginger/garlic paste and salt, stir and cook on a medium flame until golden
• Add in the chopped tomatoes, stir and cook covered for 2-3 minutes on a medium flame until tomatoes start to soften
• Uncover and lower the flame. Add in the spices one by one, turmeric, chili and coriander powder. Stir and cook the spices on a medium low flame for 1-2 minutes
• Add in the fried bitter gourd, stir well, cover and cook on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes
• Uncover and add in the green chili’s, cook for an additional 4-5 minutes
• Sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro, stir and take the pan off the heat
• Serve hot with steamed rice or roti’s.

Notes

• Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.