Name: Gujarati Kaju Karela Nu Shaak
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 150 g Bitter Gourd, karela, scraped, deseeded, salted, and squeezed dry; ¼ cup Cashews, whole or halves; 1 Tomato, finely chopped; 1 tbsp Jaggery, crushed, crucial for the sweet profile; ¼ tsp Asafoetida; ½ tsp Cumin Seeds; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric; ½ tsp Red Chilli Powder; ¾ tsp Ground Coriander-Cumin Blend, dhana-jeeru; ½ tsp Dried Mango Powder, amchur; 1½ tbsp Cooking Oil, divided; ¼ tsp Salt, adjust carefully, karela is pre-salted; 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped for garnish

1 hr 5 mintotal

35 min hands-on30 min hands-off

Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

Add to your week

Method

Heat a small portion of the oil in a pan. Add the cashews and roast patiently on low heat until they achieve a brilliant golden brown crunch. Remove and set aside safely.
In the same pan, heat another portion of oil. Introduce the thoroughly squeezed bitter gourd (karela) pieces. Fry decisively on medium heat for 8-10 minutes until they are perfectly tender inside and delightfully crispy on the edges. Remove and set aside.
8–10 min
Add the remaining oil to the pan. Introduce the cumin seeds and allow them to splutter enthusiastically, followed by a generous pinch of asafoetida.
Add the finely chopped tomatoes. Sauté relentlessly until they break down entirely and fuse into a soft, mushy paste.
Fold in the turmeric, red chilli powder, and coriander-cumin powder. Cook the concentrated masala actively for 2 minutes until the oil distinctly releases from the sides.
2 min
Return the masterfully fried karela and roasted cashews to the pan. Toss them vigorously to ensure the vibrant tomato masala coats every piece evenly.
Add the crushed jaggery, dry mango powder (amchur), and a very measured splash of water to aid melting. Mix thoroughly.
Cover the pan and let the sabzi simmer gently on the lowest possible heat for 3-4 minutes. The jaggery will melt flawlessly, creating an irresistibly sticky, sweet-and-sour glaze over the crispy gourd and crunchy nuts.
3–4 min
Turn off the heat, garnish elegantly with fresh coriander, and serve.

How to tell it's done

Chewy, crispy bitter gourd rings and crunchy, buttery cashews coated in a very sticky, intensely sweet, tangy, and mildly spiced tomato glaze.

Getting it right

Tip

This is a premium Jain wedding dish. It relies heavily on the sweet-and-sour combination (jaggery and amchur) to entirely mask the natural bitterness of the gourd, making it an absolute crowd-pleaser.

What to serve it with

A delicacy best eaten with hot, thin Gujarati Rotlis or crispy Puris alongside Dal.

Kathiyawadi Bharwa Dungri

Bharwa dungri stuffs pearl onions with a Kathiyawadi masala and cooks them whole until they collapse.

35 minvegetarian

Kathiyawadi Kaju Gathiya

Kaju gathiya cooks cashews with crisp gathiya in a Kathiyawadi masala, the gathiya softening in the gravy.

30 minvegetarian

Kathiyawadi Lasooni Sev Tamatar

Lasooni sev tamatar loads the Gujarati tomato and sev curry with garlic, in the Kathiyawadi style.

25 minvegetarian

Kerala Avial

Avial dresses mixed vegetables in ground coconut and yoghurt, a Kerala dish that keeps each vegetable distinct.

1 hrvegetarian

Kerala Kadala Curry

Kadala curry simmers black chickpeas in roasted coconut gravy, the Kerala partner to puttu.

8 hr 55 minvegan

Kerala Olan

Olan simmers ash gourd and cowpeas in thin coconut milk, a Kerala dish with almost no spice at all.

8 hr 45 minvegan

Ingredients