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This is a simple and quick curry recipe made with karela (bitter gourd) and an instant masala. The masala is prepared with farsan like mix chavanu and regular spices, which are stuffed into karela to reduce its bitterness and enhance all the flavors. The dish has a balanced taste profile, with a slight sweetness, tanginess, and medium spiciness, typical of Gujarati sabzis. It is not only healthy but also a gravy-based side dish that pairs well not only with roti and chapati but also with various rice variants. Give it a try!”
The key to making tasty bharela karela nu shak at home are
- Firstly, choose fresh, medium-thick, and green-colored karela for the sabzi. Also, remove its thick skin and seeds, and boil it in salted water to decrease its bitterness.
- Secondly, prepare a quick masala with chavanu (mix chivda) and regular spices. Make the masala slightly spicy, sour, and sweet. You can use any farsan like gathiya or roasted besan and adjust the amount of spices and jaggery according to your taste.
- Lastly, bharela karela nu shak tastes great the next day as it absorbs the masala well.
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Recipe Video
Bharela karela nu shak | bharwa karela | stuffed karela recipe
Ingredients
- 350 grm or 10-12 small size karela
- 1 cup mix chivda - chavanu
- 6-7 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli
- Pinch of salt
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp jaggery
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
- 5 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- Pinch of hing
- 2-3 chopped green chilli slites
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ cup water or as required
- Garnish with coriander leaves
Instructions
Prepared Karela for Sabzi:
- Take small-sized karela and remove its hard skin. Make a slit in the center and remove its seeds. Keep it aside.
- In a pan, boil 4 cups of water, add salt, and mix well. Add karela pieces and boil for 3-5 minutes until they are 80% cooked. Avoid overboiling.
- Remove the karela from the water using a sieve and rinse them with cool water, rubbing them slightly to remove bitterness. Keep it aside.
Prepared Masala for Karela:
- In a mixer jar, add 1 cup of mix chivda, 6-7 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, salt to taste, and ½ tsp garam masala.
- Cover the lid and grind it coarsely using pulse grinding.
- Transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl and add 2 tbsp jaggery, 1 tbsp lemon juice, some coriander leaves, and 1 tbsp oil. Mix well.
- The masala is now ready. Stuff it into the prepared karela. Keep it aside.
Prepared Bharela Karela Nu Shaak:
- In a pan, add 5 tbsp oil. Once it heats up, add ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds, a pinch of hing, and 2-3 chopped green chilli slits. Saute them.
- Add ½ tsp turmeric powder and mix well.
- Add the stuffed karela and mix well.
- Sprinkle some water over the stuffed karela. Cover and cook the sabzi for 5-7 minutes on low flame until the karela is fully cooked.
- Sprinkle the leftover masala over the sabzi and add ¼ cup of hot water from the sides.
- Cover and cook the sabzi for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or rice.
Notes
- Make slits into the center of the karela and remove its seeds.
- Add some cold water to stop its cooking process and remove its bitterness
- You can use gathiya or any farsan instead of chavanu.
- Grind masala on pulse grinding.
- The addition of oil to masala gives binding to it.
- Cook sabzi on low flame for 7-8 minutes, so karela is properly cooked.
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