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    Home » Delicious-Sides » Bittergourd masala /Bittergourd curry

    Bittergourd masala /Bittergourd curry

    Jan 19, 2020 · Modified: Dec 20, 2020 by Priya_Srinivasan ·

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Bittergourd , a vegetable hated by many for its taste, but there are many who like this vegetable’s natural taste. I love bittergourd, when cooked perfectly it tastes amazing, pavakai pitalai being my absolute favorite.

    I also love a simple pavakai/bitter-gourd curry with coconut and chilies, paired with rasam rice it tastes delish. 

    Bittergourd masala

    Sometime back, i tried making bittergourd by resting it with salt and then cooking it , which makes the bitter-gourd more palatable.

    After trying bittergourd this way, this is the only recipe i follow to make bittergourd. Though it looks a bit tedious process, once you get a hold of it, you can make it in minutes.

    Bittergourd curry

    I tried making this bitter-gourd masala for my hubby’s dabba, just to check whether it is possible to do, in the morning rush. Yes, it takes around 45 minutes, including the 20 minutes resting of the veggie and shallow-frying it.

    Bittergourd subzi

    You can pair this bittergourd masala with roti or serve it along with rice and rasam.

    Let us see what all you need to make this subzi, 

    Bitter-Gourd,   2 long bitter-gourds, which weighs 250 grams, pith removed.
    Onion & Tomatoes, onions are optional. Tomatoes gives the curry/subzi the semi-gravy consistency, if tomatoes are avoided it will be like a dry roast.
    Spices,  Sambar powder , as it is one of the easily available spice mix in most of the south-indian kitchen.

    You can also use equal quantities of red chili and coriander ground together instead of sambar powder.
    Curry leaves and Coriander leaves, do not miss these flavor imparting greens. Curry leaves in tadka and coriander as garnish takes the subzi to another level.

    How to make Bittergourd masala/Bittergourd subzi with onions and tomatoes

    A simple to make subzi with bittergourd/bittermelon. The following recipe, reduces the bitterness in the gourd and makes it delectable. Even small kids would enjoy bittergourd made this way.
    5 from 12 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: Bittergourd curry, Bittergourd masala, Bittergourd subzi, How to make bittergourd subzi
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 3
    Calories:

    Ingredients

    • 2 nos Bittergourds/bittermelons Weighs around 250 grams when pith is removed and chopped
    • 1 no large onion finely chopped
    • 2 no medium tomatoes finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon sambar powder or use red chili and coriander powder
    • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
    • Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

    Tempering

    • ¼ cup oil any vegetable oil
    • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds/kadugu
    • ⅛ teaspoon hing/asafoetida
    • a sprig of curry leaf

    Instructions

    • Wash the bittergourd and cut them horizontally into two  and then again vertically into two, remove the pith inside. slice them into roundels.
    • Once cut, sprinkle salt on them and let it rest for a minimum of 20 minutes. While the bittergourd is resting, let us prep the onions and tomatoes. 
    • Chop onions and tomatoes fine. Once the bittergourd has rested for 20 minutes, strain it and give it a quick wash in running water and let it drain completely.
    • In a wide pan, Add oil, add the bittergourd in batches and shallow fry. i did it 2 batches, do not crowd the pan, you can also deep fry it, but i preferred to shallow fry.
    • Let the bittergourd, sizzle and shrink a bit and get a golden brown on them, once done, remove it with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
    • In the same pan, add mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves, when the mustard splutter, add the chopped onions and saute until translucent.
    • Next add the tomatoes now to this add turmeric powder, salt  and sambhar powder and mix well. Add ¼ cup of water, cover and cook for 5 minutes, for the tomatoes to cook well and turn mushy.
    • Remove the cover and if the tomatoes are done, add the fried bittergourd to this and mix well. 
    • Let it sit on the stove for another 3-5 minutes for the flavors to mingle. The consistency should be of a semi-gravy. You can also make this complete dry curry, just let it sit on the stove until the liquid is absorbed.
    • Take it off the stove, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve along with rice/roti.

    Disclaimer

    I m not a Doctor or a Nutritionist The Nutrition information provided above comes from the plugin and is only an estimate.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @Icampinmykitchen or #icampinmykitchen
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    I served it part of this delicious thali meal for a weekday lunch. The thali has Rice with ghee, Chana dal Tomato-garlic rasam and karela.
     

    indian thali meal with dal, rice and subzi

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rafeeda AR

      January 21, 2020 at 5:48 am

      I am actually no fan of bittergourd and have never cooked with this vegetable in my life… hehe… I seem to like how this sabzi looks so may try it someday…

      Reply
      • Priya Srinivasan

        February 01, 2020 at 12:10 pm

        Thank you rafee, yes the bitterness is much less in this method, do try!

        Reply
    2. Leslie

      February 20, 2020 at 8:28 pm

      Would love to try this Indian dish! Looks so delicious and filling! Great recipe here!

      Reply
    3. Sandhya Ramakrishnan

      February 20, 2020 at 9:57 pm

      5 stars
      We all love bitter gourd in our house and grow a ton of it in summer. I have made pitalai and dry curry, but have never made them like a masala with onions and tomatoes. I will make this recipe soon.

      Reply
      • Lata Lala

        April 21, 2020 at 12:06 pm

        5 stars
        Bitter gourd masala curry looks delicious. We too make it almost similar way in onion and tomato masala with basic spices.
        Lata Lala recently posted…Jackfruit Idli Recipe | Panasa idli | Kathal idliMy Profile

        Reply
    4. Ben M

      February 20, 2020 at 10:31 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe makes me want to camp in your kitchen, too. lol. What a great tasting dinner and thanks so much for sharing.

      Reply
    5. Pavani

      April 19, 2020 at 7:03 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious bittergourd curry Priya. We love bittergourd any which way it is cooked – even my little one started to try it (older one won’t touch it). My MIL leaves the salted bittergourd pieces in the fridge overnight. You could probably do that to make it cook faster in the morning.
      Pavani recently posted…Watermelon Banana Juice Recipe | Summer RefresherMy Profile

      Reply
    6. Shailender Sharma

      April 19, 2020 at 7:27 pm

      5 stars
      Bittergourd is usually cooked by slitting and filling them with some spices coupled with onion…But this is time consuming. Yours is an instant version and worth saving time.
      Shailender Sharma recently posted…Auria recipe | jammu special auria | how to make dogri recipe auriaMy Profile

      Reply
    7. Sandhya Nadkarni

      April 22, 2020 at 5:05 pm

      5 stars
      I like the details in your recipe Priya and also the texture in the dish with the soft onion tomato gravy and crispy fried bittergourd!
      Sandhya Nadkarni recently posted…Air Fryer Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple BisqueMy Profile

      Reply
    8. Uma Srinivas

      April 23, 2020 at 4:12 am

      5 stars
      Bitter gourd is one of my favorite vegetables. Nowadays I miss those vegetables. Your bitter gourd masala curry looks yummy.

      Reply
    9. Padma Veeranki

      April 23, 2020 at 1:17 pm

      5 stars
      Bittergourd is a one of my favourite vegetable and I just made a fry with it yesterday…Your masala gravy looks super tempting…Yummy
      Padma Veeranki recently posted…Eggless Vanilla Cake Recipe Without Condensed Milk | Pressure Cooker Cake Recipe | Vanilla Sponge Cake RecipeMy Profile

      Reply
    10. Sapna

      April 23, 2020 at 7:29 pm

      Never added sambhar masala in bitter gourd . It looks so yummy and I love bitter gourd so will definitely try it.

      Reply
    11. Lathiya

      April 25, 2020 at 12:52 am

      5 stars
      I love Bitter gourd curry. I make using the tamarind extract. Your method sounds great. Will try.
      Lathiya recently posted…Cheese Quesadilla recipe with Fresh tomato salsaMy Profile

      Reply
    12. Sasmita

      April 25, 2020 at 9:40 am

      5 stars
      Bitter gourd masala curry looks delicious.
      Use of sambar masala must lend to a lovely flavor here along with the onion and tomato masala Priya !
      Sasmita recently posted…Watermelon Pizza with assorted Fruits & ChocolatesMy Profile

      Reply
    13. Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey

      April 25, 2020 at 11:48 am

      Karela with sambhar masala powder is new to me, sounds so good and looks tasty. Must try this one day.
      Jagruti’s Cooking Odyssey recently posted…INSTANT POT TREVTI DAAL (THREE LENTILS DAAL WITH SPINACH)My Profile

      Reply
    14. Jolly

      April 26, 2020 at 10:54 pm

      Bitter gourd curry looks really tempting. At my home, me and my husband is a big fan of bitter gourd and usually make it in a bharwa style with onion & with basic spices. I’ve never tasted this onion-tomato curry style. Addition of sambar masala sounds so interesting!!
      Jolly recently posted…Rava Cake | How to make Sooji Atta Cake | Semolina Cake(Eggless)My Profile

      Reply
    15. Maha

      November 18, 2020 at 8:06 pm

      5 stars
      One of the best and healthy recipe

      Reply
    16. Tania Mushtaq

      December 23, 2020 at 8:25 am

      5 stars
      Great recipe thank you for sharing this

      Reply

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