easy bitter gourd curry recipe | karela sabzi | kakarakaya curry

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 Servings
  • Category: curry
  • Cuisine: south indian

Ingredients

  • 1 bitter gourd
  • 4 tsp oil
  • ½ tsp jeera / cumin
  • ½ tsp fennel / saunf
  • few curry leaves
  • ½ onion (sliced)
  • ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 chilli (slit)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp coriander powder
  • ¼ tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup tamarind extract
  • 1 tbsp jaggery / gud
  • 2 tbsp coriander (finely chopped)

Method

  1. in a large kadai heat 4 tsp oil and splutter ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp fennel, and few curry leaves.
  2. add ½ onion, ½ tsp ginger garlic paste and 1 chilli. saute well making sure onions are cooked well.
  3. squeeze of the bitter gourd and add to the kadai.
  4. saute for a minute making sure the bitter gourd is roasted.
  5. now add ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp coriander powder, ¼ tsp garam masala and ½ tsp salt.
  6. saute on low flame, making sure the spices are cooked well.
  7. further, add ¾ cup tamarind extract and 1 tbsp jaggery.
  8. cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the bitter gourd are cooked well.
  9. finally, add coriander leaves and enjoy bitter gourd curry with hot steamed rice or chapati.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.