Stuffed Karela Recipe | Easy Punjabi Style Bharwa Karela Recipe is a side dish that is prepared by shallow frying of bitter gourd or karela which is then stuffed with onion and spices to give it a spicy and tangy flavor. It tastes delicious and even kids can enjoy it.

Bharwa Karela is best served with chapatti, rice, and dal, sambhar, or any curry to make the meal wholesome. It can also be prepared in a large amount and stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks for later consumption.

Other veg recipes you would like to try

Sweet and Tangy Ivy Gourd(Kundru) Dry Veg Recipe
Easy And Healthy Chili Paneer With Soya Sauce
Dry Masala Tinda Veg | One Pot Quick Tinda veg

Health benefits of eating Karela or bitter gourd

Karela, which is also known as bitter melon or gourd, has a rough skin and touch of bitter flavor. Due to this, it may not figure in the list of favourite dish of many people. However including bitter gourd in your diet will indeed give you a lot of health benefits.

1. It is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and antioxidants which help in good eyesight and skin health.
2. A good source of fiber that supports healthy digestion and reduces blood sugar spikes after meal, therefore benefits in controlling diabetes.
3. Low in calories and carbohydrates and also curbs your hunger, hence a good choice for weight watchers.
4. Contains a good amount of calcium, helps in lowering cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.

Sometimes if consumed in large quantity may cause stomach pain, diarrhoea, etc. So, always take care to consume in moderation.

Process of making Bharwa Karela | Punjabi Style Stuffed Karela Recipe

Traditionally, stuffed karela is made with a deep frying process that absorbs a lot of oil and is not so good for health. So, I modified it and used shallow frying of karela and the ‘filing’ separately. Then stuffed the karela with the filling to prepare the yummy, delicious and healthy stuffed bitter gourd ready to be served. This method takes even less time than the deep-fried method.

Step by step preparation of Stuffed Karela Recipe | Punjabi Style Bharwa Karela Recipe

1. First, peel the outer covering of bitter gourd slightly and using a knife create a slit lengthwise carefully. Take all the seeds out from the inside to make it hollow for filling.

2. Now wash them with water and put them in the sunlight for around 1 hour to dry them, or you can just also dry them up with the help of a dry cloth or tissue.

3. Heat up mustard oil in a pan on low flame and add bitter gourd in it one by one. Shallow fry for 5-7 minutes or until they get cooked well from all sides. Take care to keep turning them around from one to another side for proper frying.

4. Take out the bitter gourd from pan and keep aside. Add heeng, then coriander powder, fennel seeds powder into the remaining oil in the pan. Then add finely chopped onion , saute for 1-2 minutes on low to medium flame. Add salt, turmeric powder and green chilli, mix well and saute for another 1-2 minutes. Lastly add cumin powder, dry mango powder, garam masala, and kasoori methi cook for another 2-3 minutes until the masala is well cooked. Switch off the flame and wait for the masala to cool down.

5. Fill up the masala inside the shallow fried bitter gourd, and they are ready to be served. Enjoy with hot chapatti or steamed rice and dal.

Serving suggestion

Stuffed Karela is a side dish and is best served with chapatti, rice, and dal, sambhar, or any curry to make the meal wholesome.

Tip and tricks

1. Try to buy small or medium-sized fresh and green karela.
2. After washing, dry them completely otherwise you cannot store them for long.
3. Shallow fry karela on low flame only and turning them around for proper cooking.
4. Chop onion finely, don’t puree them, chopped onion gives a crunchy taste.
5. If raw mangoes are available replace dry mango powder with one small-sized chopped raw mango. It enhances the flavour to the next level.
6. Leftover stuffed karela can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks and when you want to eat take out and keep them outside for 2-3 hours or just microwave them for 15-20 seconds and enjoy.
7. You can also try other stuffing like boiled potato or tomato paste according to your taste but that cannot be stored for a long time.

Recipe card

My Latest Videos

Try this Healthy low fat bharwa karela recipe and let me know about your outcomes in the comments section below or tag #healthicallykitchen on instagram. If you like this recipe, don’t forget to share it with your friends and family, and give us a 5 star rating.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube.