Do you too make faces seeing karela on dining table? Most of us, across ages, slide karela into oblivion due to its pungent taste. While don't deny your bitterness for the vegetable, we also have to accept that it replete with health benefits. Karela (or bitter gourd) is loaded with antioxidants, fibre and vitamins that purify our blood, improve eyesight, promote skin health and help boost overall immunity. Hence, we like it or not, karela holds a constant position in every Indian kitchen. And if you know the right way to cook it, you can turn the bitterness of the vegetable more appealing for your palate. How, you ask? All you need to do is scrape the seeds and boil it well with salt. Then squeeze out the excess water and the karela is ready to be cooked into a delicious sabzi.
We bring you one such karela sabzi recipe that left a strong impression on our palate. It's called khatta-meetha karela. Sounds appetizing, right? A flavourful mix of spices and boiled bitter gourd, this recipe is served as a side dish with dal-chawal or roti/paratha. Due to the combination of saunf and dhania (used in the recipe), this dish will leave an achari flavour on your palate.
This recipe was shared by food vlogger Manjula Jain on her YouTube channel 'Manjula's kitchen'. Without further ado, let's get set with the recipe.
Also Read: South Indian-Style Karela Fry Will Make You Forget That Bitter Gourd Is Bitter
Karela is loaded with health benefiting properties
How To Make Khatta-Meetha Karela | Sweet-N-Sour Karela Recipe:
1. Cut the edges of the karela and slice it into two pieces.
2. Then remove the seeds and keep half of the seeds aside.
3. Now, slice the karela into bite-sized pieces.
4. Boil the karela with salt and turmeric.
5. After boiling it for about 7 minutes, then turn off the heat and drain the water.
6. Wash the karela well to remove the bitterness. Squeeze the karela to take out the excess water.
7. Add 3 tbsp oil in a pan and add cumin seeds to it.
8. Add the karela, sprinkle salt and fry sometime on medium flame.
9. Add coriander powder, fennel seeds, red chilli powder and mango powder. Stir and mix everything together.
10.Add some water, cover the lid and cook on low-medium heat.
11. Finally, add sugar and cook for about a minute. And sweet and sour karela is ready.
Try it today and let us know whether the bitter gourd got better for you.
Watch Here The Complete Recipe Video Of Khatta-Meetha Karela:
Also Read: Want To Make Karela 'Cool' For Your Kids? Try This No-Bitter Bharwa Karela Recipe!