Today we have brought for you the recipe of Bharva Karela which we will prepare in a very simple and very different way. If you prepare Bharva Karela in this way, then there will be no bitterness in Karela and every member of the house will eat it with great pleasure.
So let’s start today’s very interesting recipe.
Preparation :-
- 500 grams bitter gourd (equal size)
- A little tamarind or lemon
- Half teaspoon turmeric powder
- Half teaspoon salt
- Boil the bitter gourd
To prepare the masala:-
- Heat 3 teaspoons oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Half teaspoon asafoetida
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 2 spoons of oil
To prepare Bharva Karela, I have taken 500 grams bitter gourd. Keep the size of bitter gourd equal, it will make the stuffing good and it will look good too. So here, first of all, what we will do is soak some tamarind in water. What we have to do is use tamarind so that the bitterness of bitter gourd reduces. So, here, if tamarind is not available, then you can use lemon as well. Now, we will heat water in a pan.
As soon as the water gets hot, we will put half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and half a teaspoon of salt in it. We have to boil the bitter gourd a little so that it becomes soft. So, if you put salt and turmeric in it, then the bitterness of bitter gourd reduces. So, without removing the peel, wash the bitter gourd with clean water and now put the bitter gourd in hot water of turmeric and salt. And after this, we will cook it on medium flame for 3-4 minutes. As soon as the bitter gourd becomes a little soft, we will take it out. By doing this, the bitter gourd gets cooked a bit and becomes a little soft and when we stuff it and cook it, it gets cooked very quickly. So here our bitter gourd has become soft, you can check it by pressing it a little. Now take out the bitter gourd from the water and dry it.
So here you will find this process more convenient and your bitter gourd will seem less bitter. So here we have boiled the bitter gourd. Now we will cool it and after that we will cut it. So in this process we do not have to cut both the end parts of the bitter gourd.
If you cut the upper and lower part, then when you open it like this, it will start opening and when you cook it, there will be chances of opening too. So we will not cut it from the top and bottom and by cutting from the middle, cut the whole middle.
So here our bitter gourd is soft. For stuffing, do not throw away the seeds. We have to use it too. The tamarind which we had kept in the big has swelled well. So you press it lightly and take out all its pulp and the seeds.
So to make the masala, heat 3 spoons of oil. As soon as the oil gets hot, we will put 1 teaspoon cumin seeds in it. Along with it, we will also put asafoetida in it. Add half a teaspoon of asafoetida. Asafoetida helps in digestion and also enhances the taste. Add 2 cups of chopped onion after chopping it a little coarsely.
We will let the onion cook for 3 minutes on a medium flame. As soon as the onion becomes a little soft, we will add spices to it. In the spices we have to add turmeric powder, so add half a teaspoon of turmeric powder, one teaspoon of Kashmiri red chilli powder, one teaspoon of coriander powder, one teaspoon of cumin powder, half a teaspoon of garam masala powder, and after this mix it well.
As soon as the spices get mixed properly, we will add bitter gourd seeds which we have kept aside, this gives it a nice crunch but if you don’t like bitter gourd then you can remove the seeds because the seeds are a little bitter. Now we have to add salt in it and mix it well.
So here the masala, onion and these seeds will get mixed with the spices. Now let it cook on low flame for a minute. Now add tamarind leaf or mango powder in it, you can also add it.
So after adding tamarind, add a lot of coriander leaves and after that mix and turn off the gas, our stuffing will be ready, it is very basic but the very flavourful tamarind adds to its taste. Now mix it well. Now turn off the gas and let the masala paste cool down.
Then we will keep this masala under the fan and after this we will take it for the process of stuffing so that it cools down quickly. Here our stuffing has cooled down, if you want you can test it with salt etc. before stuffing. We have boiled the bitter gourd due to which it stretches well and the stuffing inside it fills in very well. If the bitter gourd is raw, then the stuffing does not go inside much. So, here we will stuff all the bitter gourds in this way. So, we are in the process of cooking. So, here our stuffing is ready, which means the stuffed bitter gourds are ready.
Keep the remaining masala in the fridge. You can use it anytime, within two to three days. Now we will heat oil in a pan. As soon as the oil gets hot, we will put the bitter gourds. Do not add too much oil. 2 spoons of oil is enough. As soon as the oil gets hot, we will put the stuffed bitter gourds in the pan side by side. Use a flat pan. There is more space in such a pan than in a wok. So, most of the bitter gourds will get crushed well in it all around. Now we will cover the pan properly with a lid. Keep the gas on medium and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Then we will turn them over and we have to cook them till the layers around them become golden brown. So we have already boiled the bitter gourd well and after that we have cooked the spices. So here you just have to make the upper layer crisp and that is all you have to cook.
So we will cook it like this 2-3 times and after that turn it over and fry it well. So here we have to keep the flame of the gas medium and cook it well from both the sides till it becomes golden brown. It will take 15-16 minutes to cook the bitter gourd like this. Turn it 2-3 times from both the sides and cover it well and let it cook well.
So here you just have to turn off the gas and take it out. Our super tasty and amazing bitter gourd is ready. Let me cut it and show you how soft it is.