bitter gourd stir fry recipe | hagalkayi palya | karela stir fry recipe

bitter gourd stir fry recipe | hagalkayi palya | karela stir fry recipe with detailed photo and video recipe. basically a stir fry recipe prepared with bitter gourd, jaggery and tamarind juice.

bitter gourd stir fry recipe | hagalkayi palya | karela stir fry recipe with step by step photo and video recipe. this is also popularly known as kanchal palya in udupi or pavakkai fry recipe in tamil. bitter gourd is known as ‘kakarakaya’ in telugu, ‘pavakkai’ in tamil, ‘pavakka’ in malayalam, ‘karle’ in marathi, and ‘korola’ in bengali. some people may dislike karela stir fry recipe because of the bitterness in its taste. however, if the bitter gourd recipes are cooked properly, they turn out to be amazing rice side dish.

i always disliked all the recipes of bitter gourd. however, my attitude against bitter gourd recipes was changed by my mother in law. she loves bitter gourd recipes especially hagalkayi gojju / kayi rasa (curry). i will soon share that recipe. today i am sharing udupi style kanchal palya recipe shared by my mom where we extract all the bitterness of karela by soaking it in salt and later rinsing with cold water. this step make sure most of the bitterness is released, and can be used to prepare the stir fry recipe. but if you like to have your stir fry with the original taste of bitter gourd, than skip the soaking step.

bitter gourd has several health benefits and offer myriad medicinal properties. bitter gourd helps to improve immunity and fight against infections. bitter melon or bitter gourd has always been associated diabetes curing capability. bitter melon juice has always been part of indian and chineese ancient medicine, including in ayurveda. bitter melon is also good for heart disease, cancer, kidneys and constipation.

if you are looking for more authentic palya recipe then check out kumbalakai palya, aloo bhaji, tindora sabzi, bhindi fry, gulla palya, molake hesaru kaalu palya and suvarnagadde palya. you may also like beetroot saasmi, batani gasi, gulla bolu koddel and nuggekayi sambar.

bitter gourd stir fry recipe | hagalkayi palya | karela stir fry video recipe:

recipe card for bitter gourd stir fry recipe | hagalkayi palya | karela stir fry:

bitter gourd stir fry recipe | hagalkayi palya | karela stir fry step by step photo recipe:

1. slice the bitter gourd / kanchal / haagalakai into thick slices.
   
2. remove the seeds and spongy centres.
   
3. transfer the sliced bitter gourd into a large bowl and add a tsp of salt.
   
4. mix well and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes.
   
5. now rinse the bitter gourd under cold water.
   
6. squeeze off the water well. keep aside. by doing this bitterness will reduce.
   
7. in a large kadai, add a tbsp of oil along with mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, dried red chilli, curry leaves and hing.
   
8. fry and allow to splutter.
   
9. add the squeezed and drained bitter gourd and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
   
10. now spread them well on a kadai and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes or until softened. stir in between to cook uniformly.
    
11. now add tamarind juice.
    
12. also add jaggery and turmeric powder. add salt if required only. i am not adding extra salt as i have marinated well with salt.
    
13. mix well and allow to cook for 15 minutes or till water drains completely. stir in between.
    
14. once the water gets drained off completely, add rasam powder and fry for a minute or 2.
    
15. add a tsp of oil over it. this is optional, however, enhances flavour.
    
16. garnish with fresh or desiccated/ shredded coconut.
    
17. serve kanchal palya hot with rice or chapathi.
    

notes:

• adjust the jaggery as per your taste. i have added a piece as i do not like the bitterness.
• soak and marinate with salt for atleast 10 minutes. else bitter gourd will be very bitter.
• remove the seeds as they are the reason for bitterness. however, if your bitter gourd seeds are tender then you can use them.
• adjust the amount of jaggery, if you are diabetic.
• use udupi rasam powder to get rich flavour.
• you can also keep a heavy weight over bitter gourd while soaking with salt. this helps the bitterness to come out quick.
• always, wash and squeeze of excess water and bitterness from the sliced bitter gourd.