Crispy Bitter gourd | Pavakkai pakoda | Karela pakora
Crispy Bitter gourd chips is a snack, made with Karela (Pavakkai), besan flour, rice flour and spices. Pavakkai pakoda recipe is available both in shallow fry and baking methods.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Frying shallow pan
Ingredients
- 200 g Bitter gourd (Deseeded & sliced)
- 1.25 tsp salt
- ½ cup Water
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- ½ tsp Chat masala
- ½ tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp Besan flour
- 1.5 tbsp Rice flour
- ¼ tsp Asafoetida
- Fresh curry leaves
- 3 tbsp oil
Instructions
Preparation:
- Rinse 200g of Bittergourd, slice into thin pieces and deseed them. If you plan to bake Karela (Bittergourd), preheat the oven to 380F (190C). Meanwhile, you can prepare the pakora mix.
Recipe for crispy Bitter gourd chips:
- Take the sliced bittergourd pieces in a cooking pan. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 cup of water. Cover with a lid, cook the vegetable for just five minutes. Switch off and filter out the excess water if anything left.
- Transfer the 3/4th cooked bittergourd to a mixing bowl. Add 3/4 tsp of salt, 1tsp of red chilli powder, 1/2tsp cumin powder and 1/2 tsp of chat masala (optional). Also, add 1tbsp of besan flour and 1.5 tbsp of rice flour.
- Next, add a tsp of cumin seeds and put a pinch of hing(asafoetida). Add a few fresh curry leaves too to add an excellent flavor to the crispy Bitter gourd.
- Combine everything properly. Do not add water while mixing as the moisture from the cooked bittergourd is enough to bind the masalas. Sprinkle few drops of water only if needed. The pakoda mix should neither have dry flour nor have extra moisture. The masalas should stick to the bittergourd.
- In any case, if your pakoda mix becomes wet or watery, add an extra tbsp of rice flour or cornflour.
How to shallow fry Bittergourd chips:
- Heat 3tbsp of oil in a flat pan. When the oil comes to sizzling temperature, add the bittergourd pieces.
- Lay the pieces one by one separately leaving enough space for each of them to get fried.
- As the Bitter gourd is already cooked, only the masalas need to get fried. Roast the veggies for around 3mins until crisp on one side.
- Flip the pieces one by one using a tong. Roast the other sides for two more minutes until deep brown and crispy.
- Remove the bittergourd (Pavakkai) chips from the pan and repeat the same for the rest of the batches.
- Serve the bittergourd pakoras(karela chips) hot.
Baked Bittergourd chips (karela pakora):
- Preheat the oven to 190C (approx. 380F). Line the baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the spiced Bitter gourd pieces.
- Bake at 380F for 15 minutes until crisp. Each oven is different, so check after ten minutes and decide when to take it out.
- The chips may look soft right after coming out of the oven. Bittergourd chips become crispy with the retained heat and become crunchy in few minutes.
- Serve hot or let cool and store in a tight jar.
Video
Notes
Tips:
1) Besan flour gives the perfect taste of pakoras. To get a different taste, you can omit besan and add corn starch instead.
2) If you are okay with deep frying, feel free to fry the pavakka pakodas in little more oil. Make sure to heat the oil to the right frying temperature before roasting.
1) Besan flour gives the perfect taste of pakoras. To get a different taste, you can omit besan and add corn starch instead.
2) If you are okay with deep frying, feel free to fry the pavakka pakodas in little more oil. Make sure to heat the oil to the right frying temperature before roasting.
Nutrition
Calories: 150kcal
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