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–+ servings

Bharwa Karela (Stuffed Karela)

Bharwa Karela is a Delicious Take on a Bitter Superfood. Bitter gourd, also known as karela in India, is one of those vegetables that people either love or avoid due to its strong bitter taste. But when it's cooked right—like in the classic Indian recipe Stuffed Karela (Bharwa Karela)—this superfood becomes an irresistible part of your diet, both for its taste and its powerful health benefits.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
resting the prepped bittergourd 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Servings 3 people

Ingredients
 

  • 3 Medium size Bitter gourd
  • 2 tablespoon Peanuts
  • 1 tablespoon White sesame Seeds
  • 3 Garlic clove
  • ½ Medium onion (roughly 3 oz)
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin seed
  • ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
  • ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoon Dry mango powder
  • 1 tablespoon Oil (to prepare the mixture )
  • Extra oil to fry the bitter gourd

Instructions
 

Prepping the Bitter Gourd

  • Wash the karela thoroughly and peel the outer skin lightly (optional).
  • Make a slit in each karela lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Since I am using the seeds too, I roughly chop the seeds.
  • Rub each karela with salt and keep aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This helps in reducing the bitterness.

Preparing the savory filling

  • Dry roast the peanuts and sesame seeds for about a minute.
  • In a food processor, add the garlic, onion, bitter gourd seeds along with roasted peanuts and sesame seeds.
  • Blend until course ground. To a hot skillet, pour oil and add the cumin seeds. Let it sizzle for a few seconds.
  • Add the coarsely ground mixture and season with salt.
  • Add the ground spices, cumin coriander turmeric and toss it around.
  • Once the raw flavor of the onion is gone, add the raw mango powder and toss it around. Taste for salt and add more if needed.

Making Karela Bharwa

  • Once the filling has cooled down, stuff it inside the slit bitter gourd (karela)
  • Cook on low flame, turning occasionally, until karela are soft and browned (takes about 20–25 minutes).
Keyword bitter gourd recipe, superfood, vegetarain dish