Crisp at the edges and tender through the middle, bitter gourd stir fry recipe | hagalkayi palya | karela stir fry is a vegetarian south indian side dish made with big bitter gourd / kanchal / haagalakai / karela, salt, and preferably coconut oil in about 50 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 3 Servings
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: south indian

Ingredients

  • 1 big bitter gourd / kanchal / haagalakai / karela
  • 1 tsp salt (for marination)
  • preferably coconut oil (1-2 tbsp oil,)
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp chana dal
  • 1 red chilli (dried)
  • ½ tsp urad dal
  • few curry leaves
  • pinch of hing /asafoetida
  • 1 cup tamarind juice
  • 1 big piece jaggery / gud (or as required)
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp rasam powder
  • 2 tbsp fresh / desiccated coconut

Method

  1. slice the bitter gourd / kanchal / haagalakai into thick slices.
  2. remove the seeds and spongy centres.
  3. transfer the sliced bitter gourd into a large bowl and add a tsp of salt.
  4. mix well and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes.
  5. now rinse the bitter gourd under cold water.
  6. in a large kadai, add a tbsp of oil along with mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, dried red chilli, curry leaves and hing.
  7. fry and allow to splutter.
  8. add the squeezed and drained bitter gourd and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
  9. now spread them well on a kadai and cook for about 10 - 15 minutes or until softened.
  10. now add tamarind juice.
  11. also add jaggery and turmeric powder. add salt if required only.
  12. mix well and allow to cook for 15 minutes or till water drains completely.
  13. once the water gets drained off completely, add rasam powder and fry for a minute or 2.
  14. add a tsp of oil over it.
  15. garnish with fresh or desiccated/ shredded coconut.
  16. serve kanchal palya hot with rice or chapathi.

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.