Photo: Phadke09 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Punjab · Lunch

Karela Masala

Bitter gourd rings salted to remove bitterness, then fried crisp and cooked with onions, spices, and jaggery — Punjab's beloved bitter vegetable preparation that balances the body's summer heat.

🧺 Ingredients

• 400g karela (bitter gourd), sliced into rings or strips
• 1 tsp salt (for salting)
• 2 large onions (200g), sliced into rings
• 2 tbsp jaggery (gur) or sugar
• 4 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp amchur
• Salt to taste
• Salting and squeezing removes up to 40% of bitterness — do not skip.
• Frying until crisp removes additional bitterness through Maillard reaction.
• Amchur and jaggery together create the classic sweet-sour-bitter balance.

👩‍🍳 How to make Karela Masala

1. Toss sliced karela with 1 tsp salt.
2. Mix well, set aside 30 min.
3. Squeeze firmly to extract bitter green water.
4. Rinse once, squeeze again.
5. Pat dry with cloth.
6. Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in kadai on HIGH until smoking.
7. Add karela — fry HIGH 6–8 min until golden-brown and crisp at edges.
8. Remove.
9. In remaining oil, add cumin — splutter.
10. Add onions — fry MEDIUM-HIGH 5 min until soft and golden.
11. Add all dry spices — stir 1 min.
12. Return karela to pan.
13. Add jaggery — toss on MEDIUM 3 min until jaggery melts and coats everything with slightly sweet-sour glaze.
14. Balance bitterness, sweetness, sourness.

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