Karela (Bitter Melon Stir Fry)

Name: Karela (Bitter Melon Stir Fry)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 12 ounces Bitter melon (Karela) (remove any hard seeds and slice in rounds); 1 teaspoon Salt; 2 tablespoon Oil (I used mustard oil); 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera); ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing) (optional, skip for gluten-free); 2 cup Onions (sliced); 1/4 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder); 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili powder (Mirchi powder); 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin (Jeera powder); 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder); 2 teaspoon Gram flour (Besan) (optional ); 1-2 tablespoon Jaggery (grated (optional)); 1 teaspoon Dry Mango powder (Amchur) (or lime juice ); 2 tablespoon Cilantro leaves (chopped )

Instructions

Prep:15minCook:20min

Karela, also called bitter melon, is a popular vegetable used in many Asian countries. Here is a delicious North Indian Karela recipe, where bitter melon is cooked with onions and spices, along with some jaggery to get a sweet, spicy and tangy stir fry!

Updated at: Fri, 28 Aug 2026 18:23:53 GMT