Name: Aloo Karela Fry
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 200 g Bitter Gourd, karela, sliced thin, salted and squeezed; 2 medium Potato, peeled and sliced into thin half-moons; 2 medium Onion, sliced lengthwise; 3 tbsp Mustard Oil, essential for crispy frying; 1 tsp Fennel Seeds, saunf, crucial for karela flavor; ½ tsp Ground Turmeric, haldi; 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder, adjust to taste; 1½ tsp Ground Coriander, dhania; 1 tsp Dried Mango Powder, amchur; 1 tsp Salt, to taste

1 hrtotal

40 min hands-on20 min hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 20 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

Add to your week

Method

Heat the mustard oil in a heavy-bottomed kadai until it begins to smoke. Reduce the heat and add the fennel seeds (saunf).
Carefully add the squeezed bitter gourd (karela) slices. Fry them uncovered on medium heat for 6-7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until they start turning brown and crispy.
6–7 min
Add the sliced potatoes and turmeric powder. Mix well. Continue frying uncovered for another 6-7 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and develop a light crust.
6–7 min
Now add the sliced onions. Adding them late ensures they caramelize slowly without turning into mush, retaining their sweet crunch.
Cook the entire mixture for another 5 minutes on medium heat until the onions are golden brown.
5 min
Lower the heat. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, dry mango powder (amchur), and salt. Toss vigorously so the dry spices coat the vegetables evenly.
Roast for 2 more minutes to cook the spices. Turn off the heat and serve.

How to tell it's done

Crispy, deep-brown rings of bitter gourd and tender-crisp potatoes intertwined with sweet, caramelized onions.

Getting it right

Tip

Frying the vegetables uncovered is the absolute key here. Covering the pan traps steam, which makes the karela soggy and increases its bitterness.

What to serve it with

A brilliant, savory side dish that balances out simple meals like Dal Chawal or Kadhi Chawal beautifully.

Tondli Fry (Kovakkai Poriyal)

Tondli fry cooks sliced ivy gourd dry with a mustard and asafoetida tempering until the pieces brown at the edges.

25 minvegan

Turai Chana Dal

Turai chana dal cooks ridge gourd with split Bengal gram, the dal holding its shape in the gourd's own liquid.

1 hr 5 minvegan

UP Style Aloo Sahjan

Aloo sahjan cooks drumsticks with potato in a mustard gravy, the pods scraped at the table.

55 minvegan

UP Style Sookha Kala Chana

Sookha kala chana is a dry black chickpea sabzi from UP, tempered in ghee with cumin and asafoetida.

8 hr 45 minvegan

Upwas Sweet Potato Poriyal

Upwas sweet potato poriyal cooks diced sweet potato dry with cumin, for fasting days.

25 minvegan

Upwasachi Batata Bhaji

Upwasachi batata bhaji is a Maharashtrian fasting-day potato dish, cooked in ghee with cumin, green chilli and crushed peanuts.

1 hr 20 minvegetarian

Ingredients