Bitter Gourd Chips
I always want to post more bitter gourd recipes, because it is one of the most requested vegetable recipe in my blog. Even though I don’t buy it often, because of its bitterness. I enjoy eating this only when amma makes this pavakkai pitlai, it taste so good. Last week when we went for shopping, I took couple of these to try few recipes on the blog. The first one which I made is this chips and it turned out to be super delicious. This recipe is so easy to make and so delicious and crispy to eat.
About Bitter Gourd Chips (Karela Chips)
Karela chips also known as pavakkai chips or hagalkayi chips made with bitter gourd which is a bitter vegetable. Pavakkai or bitter gourd is also known as bitter melon in some parts of the world. It is widely used all over India, Asia and other parts of the world. This bitter vegetable is known for its medicinal benefits in treating diabetics and keeping it under control. Check my pavakkai juice. Even though this is not loved among kids but many people enjoy cooking with it. Bitter gourd or pavakkai gets special treatment before cooking to remove the excess bitter gourd. I have shared few of the tips which we follow to remove the excess bitter from it. You can make bitter gourd chips under 30 minutes. First slice bitter gourd thinly and take it in a bowl, add turmeric and salt. Mix it really well and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Rinse this really well and squeeze to remove the excess moisture. Now add all spices and flour and mix. Deep fry till golden and crispy.
Similar Recipes
Bittergourd Masala Bittergourd Pitlai Pavakkai Pachadi Stuffed Bitter Gourd
Watch Bitter Gourd Chips Video
Bitter Gourd Chips Ingredients
Bitter Gourd - Use young tender karela for this recipe. Also make sure you slice them very thin to make them extra crispy. Spices - I used a combination of Kashmir chilli powder, garam masala powder, Amchoor powder in this. Gram Flour - helps binding the vegetable and makes it crispy. Rice Flour - you can use rice flour or cornstarch along with gram flour for crispy exterior. Oil - Always use neutral oil for frying like vegetable or refined oil.
How to Reduce Bitterness from Bitter gourd
Salt & Turmeric - Slice bitter gourd into thin rounds. Now place this in a colander, sprinkle with salt and turmeric powder. Mix well using your hands. Set aside for 15 to 30 mins. Now rinse this really well in water, squeeze to remove the water and take it in a bowl. Soaking in Yogurt - Mix 2 tbsp sour yogurt with some water. soak sliced bitter gourd pieces in diluted sour yogurt for 60 minutes. Strain and rinse in cold water. Squeeze and use as required. Removing Peel Helps - You can remove a thin layer of the outer peel to reduce the bitterness from it. Tamarind & Jaggery - You can use this when you are cooking with bitter gourd. Add some tamarind paste and jaggery into the curry you make to balance the taste and reduce the bitterness.
How to Make Bitter Gourd Chips (Stepwise Pictures)
Choosing Bitter Gourd
While choosing karela. Use young tender karela for this recipe. Also make sure you slice them very thin to make them extra crispy.
Slicing Bitter Gourd
1)Take your bitter gourd, wash it really well. Slice this thinly using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Make sure the bitter gourd is sliced very thinly for crispy chips.
Remove Bitterness from Bitter gourd
2)Take the sliced bitter gourd in a colander which is placed over a bowl. Sprinkle generous amount of salt and turmeric powder over the bitter gourd. Salt helps to remove the bitterness and turmeric helps to remove the odour. 3)Massage it really well on the bitter gourd. Allow the bitter gourd to sit for 15 to 30 minutes to extract most of the bitterness. 4)This is how it looks after 30 minutes. Most of the bitterness would have been released as water and collected in the bowl underneath. By this time the vegetable must have softened as well. 5)Now rinse this really well in cold water. Squeeze the extra water from the bitter gourd and take it in a bowl.
Marinating Bitter gourd
6)Take the softened bitter gourd in a large bowl. We are going to marinate the bitter gourd. 7)Sprinkle with some salt. 8)Sprinkle in some chilli powder. Here I am using Kashmiri chilli powder for colour. 9)Sprinkle some garam masala powder and amchoor powder. You can even add some cumin powder as well. 10)Now add in some gram flour. This helps with the binding. 11)Add in some rice flour which helps with the crispy texture. 12)Sprinkle some water over this and mix it really well.
Frying Bitter gourd chips
13)Drop the marinated bitter gourd in oil (in batches). Deep fry them on medium high heat till crispy and golden brown. 14)Deep fry the bitter gourd for 3 to 4 minutes till golden. Strain and serve. 15)Crispy bitter gourd chips aka karela chips is ready to serve.
Expert Tips
Make sure you slice bitter gourd really thin, so it gets super crispy when fried. You can taste and adjust the spices according to your taste. A small dash of tamarind or lemon juice can be added. Deep fry the bitter gourd in batches so it gets crispy.
Serving & Storage
You can store crispy fried bitter gourd chips in an air tight container for 2 days. Enjoy karela chips as it is or with rice.
Air Fryer Karela Chips
After marinating the bitter gourd. Add 2 tbsp oil and toss to combine. Now spread this in air fryer basket. Place it into the 180 degree C air fryer and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until crispy. Remove it and shake the basket inbetween for even cooking.
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