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Bitter Gourd Fry

May 27, 2018 by Senthil Sadasivam Recipe rating:
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Bitter gourd is on our menu almost every week. I already told you my son has become a big fan of bitter gourd now. Bitter gourd has numerous health benefits is very rich in minerals, fiber and is a diabetic friendly vegetable.

Bitter gourd sambar, kara kolambu, fry, pitlai (with chana dal or whole black/ white chana or peanuts), and the famous Kerala style theeyal are my favorite dishes.  I still have not cooked the North Indian style stuffed karela and I am sure it will become my favorite too one day…

This recipe is a must try if you have never made bitter gourd fry in your kitchen!!!  Whenever I make bitter gourd fry, I always fondly remember one of my friend I was in touch during my bachelor days in Dallas whose favorite food combination is Vendaikai (Okra) Sambar and Bitter Gourd fry. Whenever he used to meet us, he would insist and always cook the most yummy okra sambar and bitter gourd fry in our kitchen!  I really lost touch with him, it will be great if I can reconnect with him somehow (where are you Saravanan? How is your family?).

Bitter Gourd Fry
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Bitter Gourd Fry

Bitter gourd fry is very easy to make and goes very well with dal, sambar, rasam, yogurt rice etc.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Keyword Bitter Gourd
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author Senthil Sadasivam

Ingredients

  • 5 Bitter Gourd cut into 1/4 inch strips

Seasoning ingredients

  • 1/2 tbsp Mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tbsp Urad dal
  • 2 Red chilies broken
  • 1 sprig Curry leaves
  • 1 tsp Hing powder
  • 2 tbsp Oil

Other ingredients

  • 1 Onion chopped
  • 2 Green chilies chopped
  • 2 Tomatoes chopped
  • 4 tbsp Coconut paste
  • 1 tbsp Tamarind juice
  • 1/2 tbsp Jaggery optional
  • Salt to taste

Spice Powders

  • 1 tbsp Sambar Powder
  • 1 tsp Turmeric powder

Sambar powder substitute

  • 1/2 tbsp Chili powder
  • 1/2 tbsp Coriander powder

For garnishing

  • 1/4 cup Coriander leaves chopped

Instructions

  1. In a wide non-stick pan, heat oil, season with mustard, urad dal, red chilies, curry leaves, hing (there is another tadka variation for this dish - instead of mustard and urad dal, you can use 1/4 tbsp fennel powder).

  2. Add chopped onion, green chilies and fry till they are browned, add chopped tomatoes, and when it is fried well, add the sliced bitter gourd, sambar powder (or substitute ingredients), turmeric powder, coconut paste, tamarind juice, jaggery (optional), salt and sprinkle some water, mix and cook covered for 5 minutes.

  3. Open the lid and stir contents and continue cooking with lid open till the bitter gourd is cooked well.  Add some oil and continue roasting till the slices shrink in size and is roasted well.

  4. Garnish with coriander leaves if preferred.

Recipe Notes

  • Some add a bit of jaggery to bring down the bitterness. But I prefer to add more tomatoes instead.
  • Some remove the seeds (or inside flesh part) but I do not.
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