Karela Recipe (Bitter gourd Curry) (2024)

By Dassana Amit
Last Updated: July 7, 2021

Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
4.85 from 46 votes • 78 Comments

This Bitter Gourd Curry also known as Karela Sabji (in Hindi) is a simple, easy Punjabi recipe. Bitter gourd cubes with lightly caramelized onions, dry mango powder and a few spices make this dish sweet, tangy and bitter in taste. This karela recipe comes from our family and I have learned it from my mother-in-law. I hope you enjoy making this one as we do.

Not everyone is fond of bitter gourd aka bitter melon or karela (Hindi). Either you will love it or hate it. I fall in the first category of liking this veggie from my childhood.

It is, in fact, one of my favorite veggie and I simply love this recipe. I always make sure that I include karela in our food once or twice a month. Apart from this dish, other karela recipes I make at home are:

• Karela fry
• Karela pickle

This bitter gourd curry is not overly dry but has some moistness from the caramelized onions and the tender soft bitter gourd.

It is a quick, healthy and easy sabzi that I make with bitter gourd when I do not have enough time for making Bharwa Karela (Stuffed Bitter Gourd Recipe). The ingredients used are similar in both these recipes, except for the method of cooking

Now before I mention step by step details about the karela recipe, let’s take a sneak peek at the health benefits of karela or bitter gourd:

1. It purifies blood.
2. Excellent for people having diabetes.
3. Improves constipation and piles.
4. Helpful in healing skin disorders.
5. Besides being good in B Vitamins and Vitamin C, Karela is also rich in minerals like iron, calcium and phosphorous.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Karela ki Sabji

1. Rinse and then peel 250 grams karela or 5 small to medium-sized karela. Wash them in running water. Then chop in small pieces.

Remove the seeds while chopping. If the karela is small and tender, then these will have tender seeds and they cannot be removed.

If karela is very bitter, then add some salt to chopped karela pieces. Mix very well and allow this mixture to sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

Then squeeze the karela and rinse them very well in water. This will get rid of some bitterness from the karela.

2. In a kadai or pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Use any neutral-flavored oil. Let the oil become hot. Then reduce the heat to a low and add the chopped karela.

3. Mix chopped karela with oil and sauté on a low to medium-low heat. Stir often while sautéing.

4. Sauté the karela for 4 to 5 minutes.

5. Then add 1.5 cups of thinly sliced onions.

6. Mix the sliced onions with the karela pieces.

7. Sprinkle¼ teaspoon turmeric powder,½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder and salt as per taste.

8. Mix very well.

9. On a low heat continue to sauté stirring often. Sprinkle some water if onions or karela start sticking to the pan. Deglaze removing the ingredients stuck at the bottom and continue to saute.

10. Sauté for 10 to 12 minutes on low or medium-low heat till both the karela and onions are cooked. The onions will also become golden and caramelize by this time.

They are not overly caramelized but lightly caramelized having a nice softness and sweetness that complements and balances the bitter taste of the karela.

Keep on stirring at regular intervals. Check the seasonings. Add more red chili powder or salt if required.

11. When the onions have lightly caramelized and the bitter gourd pieces have softened and are fork tender, then sprinkle ½ to 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) and ½ teaspoon garam masala powder.

For a more tangy taste increase the amount of dry mango powder by ½ teaspoon. If you don’t have dry mango powder then you can drizzle ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

12. Mix very well and then switch off the heat.

Serve karela ki sabji with phulka, paratha and a bowl of fresh plain curd (yogurt) or sweetened curd.

This dry bitter gourd curry also goes very well as a side vegetable dish or accompaniment with the combination of dal rice or kadhi chawal (Punjabi curd kadhi with rice). You can garnish with some coriander leaves if you want.

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

This Karela Recipe post is from the archives (August 2010) and has been republished and updated on 7 July 2021.