Bharwaa Karelaa/Stuffed Bitter Gourd - No Onion, No Garlic!!

#Bitter #Gourd aka #Karelaa has tonnes of health benefits. Loaded with vitamin C, vitamin A, rich in fiber, low in calories makes it a very healthy vegetable to be eaten. Specially for diabetic people it's great, as it helps control blood sugar levels. When my parents used to tell me these health benefits in my childhood I never listened to them as I didn't like it. I used to think it has spikes on it and is bitter in taste, what benefits this weird looking vegetable could have?

So, in short, all my childhood I was never a Karelaa person :D. But, as I grew up I started liking it, specially the stuffed karelaa that my mom made. She makes stuffing with raw mangoes and saunf (fennel powder) which takes the taste to another level. The way she made it, would vanish all the bitterness of it. This recipe was passed on to my mom by my naani, and to me by my mom. I now love karelaa. Whoever doesn't like it, I can bet this recipe will make you fall in love with it. Nowadays when there is no shortage of raw mangoes, I make sure I make this bharwaa karelaa before the previous batch ends and when it's accompanied by plain parathaa, nothing can beat it!!

Ingredients in this recipe are for 5-6 karelaas . Do try it. I'm certain that you'll love it!

List of Ingredients:

For Bharwaa Karelaa/Stuffed Bitter Gourd

1. Karelaa - 5 to 6 (as per your need)

2. Green chilies - 10 to 12 ( you can always adjust it per your spice level preference).

3. Raw/unripe mangoes (medium sized) - 2

4. Saunf/Fennel Powder - 3.5 tbsp

5. Coriander Powder - 3.5 tbsp

6. Heeng/Asafoetida - 1.5 tsp

7. Haldi/Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

8. Salt - per taste

9. Jeera/Cumin - 1.5 tsp

10. Mustard Oil - 2 tbsp (for preparing stuffing) + 5 tbsp (for making karelaa). If you don't like mustard oil, feel free to use any oil, but I'd recommend using mustard oil for best taste.

Easy to follow steps:

To get rid of the bitterness, we shall salt karelaa and let them sit for 6-8 hours. I usually leave them overnight. Wash karelaa & peel off the spikes on the outer surface lightly, do not dig hard on the surface to peel. Do not throw away the peelings, collect them on a plate. Once all of them are peeled, slit them open and de-seed. Then take some salt on your fingers and rub it over all the karelaas inside out one by one. Sprinkle some salt on the peelings as well and mix it well. Keep the salted karelaas and peelings aside for 6-8 hours or overnight.

Once they are rested for good amount of time, you'll notice they've gotten softer. Wash strain both, karelaas and peelings well enough. Squeeze extra water just by pressing them lightly.

Now, we'll move on to making the stuffing. Chop green chilies and raw mangoes in small pieces. Take oil in a pan, I used mustard oil, if you're using it too then wait till it is smoking hot and changes color to pale yellow. Lower the flame, add heeng, jeera, and let it crackle a bit before adding haldi, chopped raw mangoes and green chilies. Fry them on moderate flame for a minute or so, and then add in the peelings. Mix it well. Then add coriander powder, salt, and stir it again. Cover the lid and let the mixture cook for 2 minutes on low flame. Remove the lid, and give it a mix. You'll feel that raw mangoes have now become softer. Add saunf powder at this point and mix well ....... and, our stuffing is ready!!

Now, we'll stuff this tangy spicy stuffing in the karelaas, but let it cool down a bit first. Take one karelaa, and fill 2-3 tbsp of stuffing by pressing it well in the entire karelaa. Stuff all the karelaas in the same manner. Rub some salt on the outer skin of the karelaas once they are stuffed. To avoid stuffing to come out while cooking karelaa, tie a thread over all of them as shown in the pic below. Take oil in a kadhai/pan on moderate flame. Put all the stuffed karelaas carefully in the oil once the mustard oil has smoked for a few seconds. Open sides should be facing up. Cover the pan/kadhai with a lid or a plate which can sit inside the kadhai and covers karelaas tightly. Reduce flame to the lowest. Let the karelaas cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip them over and cover the lid again. Keep doing this until they have golden crust all over. This whole process should take around 20-25 minutes. Flame should be lowest all the time. Once they are done, take them out and remove the thread.

And there you go!! Look at our golden brown spicy tangy karelaa!! Enjoy them with parathaa/chapati or have them as a side with any meal!!

Happily Stay Home!

Hope you liked the recipe and didn't find it too difficult. Let me know if this got you high on flavors. Don't forget to subscribe for more updates. Leave a comment for any questions/thoughts. Talk to you in my next mouthwatering recipe!

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