bitter-gourd chips (karela chips)
Karela! It is one vegetable which is on ‘hate’ list of many. Those who like it , it is favourite for them. I personally believe it is their mum or dad or wife or someone at home who cooks the karela really well and that is the only reason they like it. Otherwise what is there to like in bitter gourd 😉
ah! But don’t go by likes and dislikes of this vegetable, oops I mean fruit. Yes, bitter gourd is a fruit from family of cucumbers. that is why it is also called as bitter melon.It is one of the best health booster fruit but certainly not so tasty.
Why is bitter gourd good for us?
It is packed with loads of calcium, magnesium, potassium, fibre, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C .That is the reason, the most common growing issues like obesity, eye (vision) problems , diabetes, hair thinning, liver toxicity , raised cholesterol, weak immune system can all be helped with regular consumption of bitter gourd.Doesn’t it sound like one man army? 🙂
How many people have you seen who are drinking bitter gourd juice off late ? You know the reason behind it now.
But do you think kids will drink juice ? they wouldn’t. They need something interesting. What could be better option than chips?
My inspiration behind this:
Long back I had bitter gourd chips at a friend’s house. It was from a famous chip shop chain in India. There was no way that I am gong to get them here in UK. So I tried and re-created it to my tastebuds and we all liked it. Since then they are a regular visitor in our kitchen..at least when I’m lucky to find lovely fresh bitter gourds in market.
to watch video click here:
- Choose fresh slender karelas, wash and slice thinly.
Steps to make:
2.Sprinkle salt over slices and keep aside to sweat for 2 hours. This willl reduce the bitterness from the karelas.
3.Later add flours and masalas to karela slices and mix well.
4. Sprinkle little water as needed for the masalas to stick to slices.
5.Deep fry on low-medium heat until crisp and golden.
6. Optional..dust powdered sugar and chat masala when chips are drained and still little warm. Enjoy with cup of tea or with daal-rice.
: Recipe Card :
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Passive Time | 2 hours |
| Servings |
people
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- 5 medium bitter gourd (karela)
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1/4 cup corn flour
- 1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan- gram flour)
- 1 tsp Fennel powder (saunf)
- 1/2 tsp Carom seeds (ajjwain/ova)
- 2 tsp mild chilli powder (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp dry mango powder (amchoor)
- 1/2 tsp dry garlic powder ( optional)
- 1/2 tsp coriander cumin powder
- to taste salt
- oil-to deep fry
- 2 Tbsp Powdered sugar (optional)
- 1 tsp chat masala (optional)
Ingredients
For karela chips:
To sprinkle:
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- Wash and slice the bitter gourd to make discs. (Making the slices very thin may burn quickly while frying .) Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of salt and leave them to sweat for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, add all the ingredients listed under' for karela chips' and mix well with karela slices. Use 3-4 tablespoon water or more if needed and mix everything well. Chips should get thin coating of the batter.
- Deep fry chips in batches on low to medium heat till they are crisp. To check if they are done--- while frying collect them from oil with a slotted spoon and they should make sound like crispy crunchy chips. (Initially when you put them to fry they are soggy, moist and don't make any sound at all .)
- Drain any excess oil on absorbent paper and serve with hot cup of tea or enjoy them with daal rice. I even like them at topping on my lentil soups.
- This recipe is useful when you are making chips for fresh use.If you want to make bigger batch and want it to stay crispy, reduce quantity of gram flour (besan) to just 1 tablespoon.
- Besan adds taste to chips whereas rice flour and corn flour make them crispy..increase or decrease the quantities of flour with your preferences.
- I've tried baking the chips in oven .Lay the battered chips in oven tray and smear them with melted butter (or oil) generously. Bake in preheated oven for 180 degree celsius for 40 minutes or till they are crisp.
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