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Showing posts with label easy karela recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label easy karela recipe. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

The 15 Minute Meal Series - Post 3

Continuing the 15 Minute Meal series that enables you to enjoy fresh home cooked food, I have put together another really easy to prepare meal consisting of flavoured rice (using brown rice), soya and kala channa subzi, karela ka bharta and a papad chura/salad .



































How to do this in 15 mins -

1. Overnight preparation -  Soak the kala channa for 8 hours minimum. Wash and cook with salt, turmeric and just enough water for 3-4 whistles.

Open the cooker once steam escapes. Transfer into a food grade plastic container and refrigerate overnight.

Take one bitter gourd and 2 medium sized potatoes. Wash and cook together in a pressure cooker with just enough water for 3 whistles.

Open the cooker once steam escapes. Transfer into a food grade plastic container and refrigerate overnight.

Additionally, one can also peel the garlic and chop the onions, cilantro and green chilis.

Soak the brown rice overnight.

2. Making the kala channa and soya subzi - Put the soya chunks into boiling water for 5 mins.

Heat 1-2 tsp oil in a wok. Add jeera and green chili tempering. Add chopped onions followed by GG paste. Fry for 2 mins.

Drain the soya chunks and wash 2-3 times with fresh water. Squeeze out water before adding to the wok. Fry for 2 mins

Add chopped tomato, red chili powder, garam masala and cook for another 2-3 mins. Add the boiled channa along with the boiled potato (peeled and cubed). Cook for 2 mins.

Transfer to a pressure cooker along with 1 1/2 cups hot water. Adjust salt. Close lid and cook for 2 whistles on high.

3. Cooking rice - Heat a oil in a cooker. Add 1-2 green chilis, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds and 2 garlic cloves. After 30 secs, add about 2-3 tbsp chopped coriander stems and saute for a min or two. Add the washed brown rice and water. Sprinkle some grated mango ginger on top. Close lid and cook for 2 whistles.

4. Kareley ka Bharta - Take the bitter gourd, remove the seeds and mash it. Add the boiled potato to it, add chopped green chili, salt, a bit of mustard oil and cilantro. Mash together.

Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a tadka pan. Add some pancha phutana (panch phoran) and 1 broken red chili. Once it gets spluttering, add some chopped onion and crushed garlic. Fry for 1 minute before pouring it over the mashed bittergourd and potato. Mix together.

5. Papad ka chura - Roast a papad on flame. Crumble and add some amchur, red chili powder, chopped onion and cilantro. Toss together. If you like, add some thinly sliced cucumber and tomato to it.


Chef's Tip - Start with the rice and the kala channa and soya subzi. Once the rice cooking is underway and the tomatoes are still being cooked, utilize this time to prepare the bharta. By the time the subzi goes into the cooker, the rice will be done and you can prepare the tempering for the bharta. Roast the papad just before serving the meal.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Kalara Chop (Karela Tikki)

Everytime my MIL comes to Blore, bittergourd or karela becomes an integral part of our meals. As she is a diabetic and bittergourd is the most beneficial vegetable for her, we keep finding/trying out new recipes with it. After we got bored of having it in various avatars like stir-fried, stuffed and mashed, we tried out an odia style chop with it. Yeah, we love our chop and make it with almost everything. Potato, green banana, cauliflower, cabbage, mushroom,prawns, chicken, fish. The list is endless. The North Indians lovingly call them 'tikkis' but I prefer to stick to the old-fashioned chop.

Read on for the recipe -







Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

  • 2 medium sized bitter gourd
  • 1 large potato
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1-2 green chilis
  • 1 tsp mustard oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp chopped coriander leaves
  • salt to taste
  • oil for shallow frying
  • 3 tbsp cornflour for dusting
  • lemon juice (optional)


Preparation - Wash and transfer the bittergourd and potato into a cooker along with 1 cup water and salt. Cook for 2-3 whistles.
Keep aside till steam escapes. Open lid and drain off excess water.

Peel the potatoes, transfer to a mixing bowl and mash them. Cut the bittergourd open and remove the seeds if any. Mash it and add to the potatoes.

Chop the onions and green chilis and add to the mixing bowl. Also add 1 tbsp cornflour, 1/2 tsp mustard oil, salt and coriander leaves. Mix well.

Shape into small flattened dics.

Cooking - Heat a tawa. drizzle it with 2 tsp oil. Place the discs on the tawa and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. (Once you notice an even browning,

remove them from the tawa.)

Drizzle with lemon juice. Serve with white rice.


Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Karele ka Bharta (Kalara Bharta/Bittergourd bharta)

For most of us, the term 'bharta' evokes images of a popular Punjabi eggplant recipe. But there is nothing Punjabi about this one. Nor does it use any eggplant. This is one of the simplest things that one can do with bittergourd or 'karela', which is also termed as the 'manaa' for diabetics. It contains atleast three compounds ( one of them being polypeptide-p which also acts like insulin )which help to reduce/regulate blood sugar levels . Even the leaves of this plant are edible and are consumed for its medicinal properties.

Read on for the recipe -





















Preparation Time - 15-20 mins

Ingredients -



  • 2 medium sized bitter gourd
  • 1 medium sized onion
  • 2 green chilis
  • 1/2 tsp pancha phutana (panch phoran)
  • 2 tsp mustard oil
  • 1-2 cloves garlic 
  • 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
  • 1/3 tsp turmeric
  • salt to taste


Preparation - Wash the bitter gourd and cut into two. Cook with 1/2 cup water, salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker. Remove from flame after 2-3 whistles. Once the steam escapes, open the lid and drain off excess water.

Mash with salt and green chili.

Chop the onion into medium sized pieces.

Cooking - Heat the oil in kadai / wok. Once it starts smoking, add the pancha phutana and the onions. Fry till onions turn translucent.

Add the mashed bitter gourd and cook for another 6-7 minutes till it starts to brown a bit.

Remove from flame. Sprinkle lemon juice and crushed garlic, and mix.

Serve hot with rotis.






















Note - One can also add some tomatoes instead of the lemon juice.

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