Bharwa Karela (Punjabi Stuffed Bitter Gourd)
Bitter gourds slit and stuffed with a tangy onion-spice filling, tied and slow-fried until tender — a patient grandmother-style dish rarely made today.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 170 kcal
Equipment
- •Kadhai
- •Kitchen thread
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- fat
- 12 g
- carbs
- 14 g
- fibre
- 5 g
- protein
- 3 g
- calories
- 170 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Lightly scrape the skin of the bitter gourds. Cut a slit lengthwise down each one without cutting all the way through.
- 2
Rub salt inside and outside each gourd. Leave for 30 minutes to pull out bitterness, then rinse and pat dry.
- 3
Heat a little mustard oil in a pan. Fry the chopped onion until it turns golden brown.
- 4
Mix the fried onion with fennel, coriander powder, amchur (dried mango powder), chilli powder, turmeric and salt.
- 5
Pack each bitter gourd generously with the filling. Tie with kitchen thread to keep each gourd closed.
- 6
Heat the remaining mustard oil in a kadhai (deep pan). Shallow fry the gourds on low heat, turning occasionally.
- 7
Cover with a lid and cook slowly. Stop when the gourds are soft and the skin is browned and crisp.
- 8
Snip and remove the kitchen threads before serving hot.
Chef's tips
Always salt and rest the gourds well to reduce their strong bitterness. Cook on low heat with a lid on so they soften fully without burning.
Ingredient substitutions
- mustard oil → any neutral cooking oil
Storage
Refrigerate up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a pan on low heat.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Skipping the salting step, which leaves the gourds far too bitter to eat.
- •Cooking over high heat, which browns the skin before the inside becomes soft.
Serving suggestions
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