Karela sabji is a classic Indian dry vegetable dish made with fresh bitter gourd which is cooked with onions, tomatoes, mustard oil, and a good mix of whole and ground spices. Basically, this sabji has karela pieces that are treated well to take out the bitterness. They are first shallow fried and a variety of aromatic spices like fennel, garam masala, and cumin seeds are added to remove their bitterness and enhance the taste. Check out my simple recipe to know the step-by-step instructions for making karela sabji at home.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Karela sabji is a popular everyday vegetable dish in many Indian households.
- It is best served with hot roti, paratha, or plain steamed rice.
- Karela sabji has a mildly bitter, spicy, and earthy taste.
- Other similar recipes are karela fry, karela pyaz sabji, and karela masala.
The Ingredients:
To prepare the karela:
- 700 grams karela (bitter gourd)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
To prepare the sabji:
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
- ½ tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
- ¼ tsp asafetida (hing)
- 3 pieces onion (medium size, finely chopped)
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 piece onion (diced)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 pieces tomatoes (medium size, finely chopped)
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp saunf powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala powder
I was first introduced to this karela sabji in quite a casual way during a conversation with an old neighbor one afternoon. We were talking about daily lunch ideas when she mentioned this recipe, which has little or no bitterness. “It is quite simple”, she said. I was fascinated and requested her to describe the whole procedure. She narrated the steps and I noted down everything in my kitchen diary. I also wrote down a few specific points so that I do not forget any detail later on while cooking.
I made the dish at home the next weekend for lunch following every step very minutely. The end result was pretty obvious – a perfectly cooked karela sabji! My husband liked the taste but most importantly my two sons did not even complain about the bitterness for once. It was amazing that they wanted to have more. I felt blessed to have met the lady and for her sharing the recipe with me.
How to Make Karela Sabji? (Step by Step Guide with Images)
Step 1: Take 700 grams of karela (bitter gourd) in a large bowl. Add salt water and let them rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Then cut them into small pieces.
Step 2: Mix ½ tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp of lemon juice, and 1 tsp of salt with the karela. Cover it with another bowl and leave it for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Squeeze out the water from the karela pieces.
Step 4: Heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil over a high flame. When it is smoking hot, put in the karela. Mix well. Reduce the flame, cover the kadai, and let it cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring a couple of times in between. Transfer them in a bowl when done.
Step 5: Heat 3 tbsp of mustard oil again. Put 1 tsp of cumin seeds, ½ tsp of nigella seeds (kalonji), ½ tsp of fennel seeds (saunf), and ¼ tsp of asafetida (hing) in it and let them crackle.
Step 6: Add finely chopped pieces of 3 medium-sized onions to it. Cook it on a high flame until soft. Then add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, mix and cook until the raw smell is gone. Add one diced onion. Mix nicely and cook for a minute.
Step 7: Reduce the flame and add ½ tsp of turmeric powder and ½ tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder. Mix well. Add 2 pieces of finely chopped, medium-sized tomatoes and salt to taste. Mix and cook on a high flame for 30 seconds. Reduce the flame, cover and cook on a medium to low flame for 3 minutes until the tomatoes turn soft.
Step 8: Add ½ tsp each of coriander powder, cumin powder, and saunf powder and ¼ tsp of garam masala powder. Mix nicely and cook for a minute. Add the cooked karela pieces to it. Mix nicely, cover, and cook on a high flame for 6 to 7 minutes.
Step 9: Your tasty and spicy homemade karela sabji is done. Transfer it onto a plate and serve hot with rice or roti.
Recipe Card
Karela Sabji
Ingredients
To prepare the karela:
- 700 grams karela bitter gourd
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
To prepare the sabji:
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp nigella seeds kalonji
- ½ tsp fennel seeds saunf
- ¼ tsp asafetida hing
- 3 pieces onion medium size, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 piece onion diced
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 pieces tomatoes medium size, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp saunf powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala powder
Instructions
- Take 700 grams of karela (bitter gourd) in a large bowl. Add salt water and let them rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Then cut them into small pieces.
- Mix ½ tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp lemon juice, and 1 tsp of salt to the karela. Cover it with another bowl and leave it for 15 minutes.
- Squeeze out the water from the karela pieces.
- Heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil over a high flame. When it is smoking hot, put the karela. Mix well. Reduce the flame, cover the kadai, and let it cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring a couple of times in between. Transfer them in a bowl when done.
- Heat 3 tbsp of mustard oil again. Put 1 tsp of cumin seeds, ½ tsp of nigella seeds (kalonji), ½ tsp of fennel seeds (saunf), and ¼ tsp of asafetida (hing) in it and let them crackle.
- Add finely chopped pieces of 3 medium-sized onions to it. Cook it on a high flame until soft. Then add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, mix and cook until the raw smell is gone. Add one diced onion. Mix nicely and cook for a minute.
- Reduce the flame and add ½ tsp of turmeric powder and ½ tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder. Mix well. Add 2 pieces of finely chopped, medium-sized tomatoes and salt to taste. Mix and cook on a high flame for 30 seconds. Reduce the flame, cover and cook on a medium to low flame for 3 minutes until the tomatoes turn soft.
- Add ½ tsp each of coriander powder, cumin powder, saunf powder and ¼ tsp of garam masala powder. Mix nicely and cook for a minute. Add the cooked karela pieces to it. Mix nicely, cover and cook on a high flame for 6 to 7 minutes.
- Your tasty and spicy homemade karela sabji is done. Transfer it on a plate and serve hot with rice or roti.
