Punjabi Karela Sabji: Spicy Bittergourd Stir Fry

Step 1

Lightly peel (what I mean is just remove the top part of the peel), slice the karela in 1/4 inch half circles. Soak them in salted water for about 20 mins. Dry them somewhat.

Step 2

In a kadhai, heat mustard oil till smoking hot. Add karelas to the oil and fry till they are almost golden brown. Don't hurry this step. It will take about 10-15 minutes.

Step 3

Once the karelas are brown, take them in the side of the pan so that you have some empty space in the middle. The oil will slowly flow down to that space in a few seconds. Add your full spices to this oil and fry till fragrant. Once the spices are done, mix the karela and fry further for a couple of minutes.

Step 4

Add the onions at this stage. Wait, before adding peel and make four slits on onions like you would if you were going to stuff them. But we wont really stuff them. The masala would get into the slits while frying and make it all delicious. If you aren't using small onions, then simply slice them in thick slices. We want some bite and crunch in the onions so please don't slice them thin

Step 5

Add all the dry spices and then let it cook on low flame till the whole thing turns a lovely golden brown. This will take around 15 mins. That's it, serve with curd, parantha and dal. Happy Eating!