• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

PepperOnPizza

  • RECIPE INDEX
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Hello There!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Indian Sabji Curry

    Bitter Gourd Fry with 5 ingredients/ Karela or Pahakkai Fry

    Published: Feb 22, 2020 Modified: Apr 5, 2020 By Sujata Shukla This blog generates income via ads. This post may contain affiliate links. PepperOnPizza may earn a commission for purchases made after clicking these links. View our disclosure policy for details

    Sharing is caring!

    29 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Yummly
    Fried strips of yellow green Bitter Gourd/Karela / Pahakkai in a white bowl on a brown wooden surface

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
        A simple, versatile and tasty side dish for Indian flat bread (chapati)  or with rice, morekuzhambu or rasam or a plain Jeera Dal, this Bitter Gourd Fry is easy to make. Use less oil, to bring out the flavours of the bitter gourd and its nutrient and disease fighting properties.

    Fried strips of bitter gourd/ karela in a white bowl with yogurt based yellow morekuzhambu in another white bowl diagonally above, all on a brown wooden background
    Easy Quick Karela/ Pahakkai/ Bitter Gourd Fry

    Most people I know do not like Karela. However this vegetable has an unique taste and if you try it with something plain, like a simple arahar dhal (split pigeon pea lentil stew) seasoned with  jeera (cumin) and green chilies in ghee,  or with the Tamil dish Morekuzhambu, it makes for an amazing combination.

    Karela or Bitter gourd  or Pavakkai in Tamil, (Botanical name Momordica charantia) is also called bitter squash, patrick or balsam pear, goya and even as Bitter melon.

    When I buy karela, I try to get the ones that are long and slender but not too thin, and are green all over. Fresh karela is easy to slice and with the seeds not very large and hard.

    Health and Nutrition with Bitter Gourd

    The vegetable has several important nutrients and is believed to help reduce blood sugar in diabetics, as well as having possible cancer fighting properties. This article in healthline explains some of these.

    Speaking from personal experience: some years ago when my husband was undergoing chemotherapy and seemed to take more medicines than food, he was just not enjoying the taste of food. For some reason that I don't understand, the bitter gourd fry, the more bitter the better,  perked him up, giving him an appetite and helping to keep the food in in spite of the nausea which he would be subjected to.

    Overhead view of strips of green bitter gourd or karela, after frying with turmeric and salt
    Easy bitter gourd karela fry

    Other Recipes You May Like To Try From This Blog:

    Bharwa Karela: Bitter Gourd Stuffed with Raw Mango

    A bright green bitter gourd being stuffed with a brown spicy mango and onion filling using a stainless steel spoon. Other stuffed bitter gourds in the background, ready to be fried
    Bharwa Karela with Raw Mango filling

     

     

     

     

     

    Morekuzhambu with Karela Rounds

    Yogurt based capsicum morekuzhambu, made the Tamil Iyer way. With hot rice and fried karela or brinjal and with papad, its the perfect comfort food
    Yogurt based capsicum morekuzhambu, made the Tamil Iyer way. With hot rice and fried karela or brinjal and with papad, its the perfect comfort food

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Goan  Bitter Gourd Kokum Dal

    Authentic easy recipe for a delicious Goan Bitter Gourd Kokum Dal, an Indian curry of red lentils, bitter gourd, jaggery and ingredients from India's Konkan Coast, kokum and terphal (Sichuan Pepper)
    Delicious Goan Bitter Gourd Kokum Dal, an Indian curry of red lentils, bitter gourd, jaggery and ingredients from India's Konkan Coast, kokum and terphal (Sichuan Pepper)

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Thin strips of yellow green bitter gourd fry/ karela/ pahakkai in a white bowl on a brown wooden background

    Bitter Gourd Fry with  5 ingredients/ Easy Karela/ Pahakkai Fry

    Sujata Shukla
    100 Healthy Recipes Challenge: Recipe 2 A Healthy tasty side dish for Indian flat bread or with rice and a plain Jeera Dhal: easy to make and has the nutrients for properties for fighting cancer and other disease.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Resting time 10 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 2 helping
    Calories 145 kcal

    Equipment

    • Knife
    • Chopping Board
    • Frying pan
    • Colander

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups bitter gourd sliced / 1 large long bitter gourd sliced as in instructions below
    • 1 teaspoon turmeric
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt or to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds
    • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil or other mild vegetable oil

    Instructions
     

    Preparation

    • Wash the bitter gourd well, wipe dry. Remove the peel if you wish. I retain the peel as well as the tender seeds. Slice length wise first into blocks, halve and quarter each block and then slice into 1 inch long thin strips. Remove any hard seeds.
      Mix turmeric and a little salt and rub into the bitter gourd pieces.
      Set aside for 10 minutes in a colander to drain any water that may be extruded.

    Making Bitter Gourd Karela Fry

    • Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle.
      Add the sliced bitter gourd, and saute, turning them occasionally so that all sides get fried.
    • Cook for about 10 minutes on low heat till done, stirring frequently.
      Serve with hot phulkas or with Rice and Dal or rice and Morekuzhambu

    Nutrition

    Serving: 50gmsCalories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 150mgPotassium: 301mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 438IUVitamin C: 78mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More recipes you may enjoy

    • Glass jar with pale brown clear vegetable stock, on a yellow striped mat with a dark blue black background
      Homemade Basic Vegetable Stock - Easy DIY
    • Brass vessel filled with reddish brown Tomato rasam. Pieces of tomato floating on top. A red and white napkin to the left, all of it on a brown wooden background
      Tomato Rasam from Homemade Rasam Powder
    • Mashed cooked brown yellow eggplant/ brinjal with red tomato slices in a white bowl edged with beige. White napkin striped with red on the top right. On a brown wooden background
      Baingan Bharta/ Roasted Brinjal Curry
    • Mango Ginger Peppercorn Pickle in a tall glass jar with round slices of the mango ginger showing along with dark hued peppercorns. Pale green and white napkin to the left of the image, and all on a beige background
      Mango Ginger Green Peppercorn Pickle

    Sharing is caring!

    29 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Yummly

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Have something to Ask or Share? Let's Talk! Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Rate This Recipe!




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Sujata Shukla says

      January 20, 2016 at 12:34 pm

      Thanks for the nice words, Mukundan Raman! Do set up your blog, I would love to read your recipes!

      Reply
    2. Mukundan Raman says

      January 20, 2016 at 9:35 am

      wow (a) you are foodie (b) am glad you like to try different stuff (c) great info (d) fantastic blog you have a follow her and I am inspired to start my blog too!!!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hello There!

    Meet the Author, Owner, Content Creator and Recipe Developer at PepperOnPizza.com. The recipes I share with you are from fresh produce, vegetarian except for the occasional egg, usually made from scratch. Traditional Indian, specially Tamil recipes are my forte, along with Salads, Soups and Mediterranean food. There are recipes for delicious Jams, thin crust Pizza, Pestos and Pickles too! I'm also the newly minted author of a book on sacred foods, 'BHOG NAIVEDYA: Food Offerings To The Gods' published by Rupa Publications India. Do Check out my Author Page to read all about me and this Blog!

    More about me →

    Trending Posts

    • A colourful array of dry fruits, kiwi, pineapple, berries, citrus, papaya ready to be cut to soak fruits for Christmas cake
      How to Soak Fruits for Christmas Fruit Cake
    • Cooking for the New Mom -Small portions of different dishes including greens and fried berries set on a plate for serving to the new momBaked squash crusted with herbs and parmesan
      Cooking for the New Mom - Pathiya Samayal My Way!
    • Yellow Broccoli Cheddar Soup flecked with green bits of herbs and broccoli,in a white bowl with a baguette in the background and pieces of green broccoli on the side
      Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Herbs and delicately Spiced
    • Assamese Aloo Pitika - a brass bowl with mashed potatoes, cilantro, mustard oil, green chillies and onion on a mat, with green chillies and cilantro alongside
      Assamese Aloo Pitika - Mashed Potato in Mustard Oil

    Season's Favourites

    • 3 little jars of reddish brown Homemade fig jam with mint and no pectin on a white rectangular marble slab, with fig halves on one side and a napkin with blue, yellow, red and green stripes on the left
      Homemade Fig Jam No Added Pectin -Easy Step by Step Guide
    • A glass bowl with a greenish Purple Basil Pesto with some Purple basil leaves alongside
      Easy Purple Basil Pesto with Pine nuts and Parmesan
    • Curried Roasted Pumpkin Soup with apples and Indian spices including turmeric, in a white bowl and a garnish of ruby red pomegranate arils and crushed pista nuts
      Curried Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Indian Spices
    • Penne pasta in a yellow pumpkin sauce with green basil leaves and red chili flakes, on a white pasta plate edged with green, on a yellow background. A white napkin with thin green stripes on the right
      Pasta in Roasted Pumpkin Sauce and Parmesan

    Get My Book:

    Bhog Naivedya -Food Offerings To The Gods

    Get it at your nearest book store, or use the link below:

    https://amzn.to/3D5xfeU
    Bright Green covered book with titles in white and yellow. Bhog Naivedya Food Offerings to the Gods
    • Recipe Index
    • Hello There!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy & Disclosures
    • Medical Disclaimer

    Hello There!

    About Us

    Contact

    • Contact Us

    Copyright Notice:

    Copyright © 2022 Sujata Shukla and PepperOnPizza.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material or any part of the content, including but not limited to Recipes, Posts and Images, without the express and written permission from this site’s author and owner is strictly prohibited. Full recipe is not to be posted - Small Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sujata Shukla and to PepperOnPizza.com with appropriate and specific links directing to the original content.

    29 shares