Stuffed Baby Bitter Gourd (Karela Bharwa)

Stuffed Bitter Gourd

Bharta or bharwa is basically vegetables stuffed with masala. Vegetables like Brinjal, Parwal, Ladies Finger (Okra), Bitter Gourd are used for bharwa / Bharta. Bitter Gourd (Karela) is bitter in taste but still loved by many people. Few people love its taste and few prefer eating karela due to its medicinal properties. Bitter gourd is used for making curry, fries, chips, bharta and achaar.

Many people are adviced to drink karela juice.

Method To Make Karela Bharta / Karela Bharta:

I have 7-8 baby bitter gourds which I will boil and then stuff with masala and then shallow fry. Instead of baby karela (Bitter Gourd) you can use large karelas as it will be easier to stuff masala inside.

• Wash and boil 7-8 karelas with little salt till soft.
• Now with the help of knife slowly remove all seeds inside all karelas (bitter gourd) by inserting knife inside it.
• Peal 1 1/2 onion and wash.
• Remove skin of 5-6 garlic cloves.
• Now roughly grind onion,garlic and small piece of ginger to rough paste.
• If your using large karelas so you will require more masala so double the quantity accordingly.
• Heat 2-3 tablespoon oil in kadai or pan.
• Put pinch of cumin seeds.
• Once cumin starts cracking add chopped onion-garlic paste and stir continously till onion is fried nicely and oil starts separating from onion.
• Put 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder and 1/4 teaspoon red chilly powder and mix.
• Now add 1 1/2 tablespoon garam masala powder and stir again.
  Put salt to taste and stir for 1 minute and switch of the flame.
• Once masala cools down stuff all karelas with masala with help of your finger.
• Now heat oil in pan for shallow frying karelas.
• Put stuffed baby karelas one by one and shallow fry karelas (bitter gourd) on low flame.
• Fry karelas from all the sides carefully. As karelas are already boiled they will not take much time to be fried.
• Switch off the flame and remove fried karelas in a plate. It can be served with dal rice or chapaties.