It’s not every day that a food blogger tells you NOT to make one of her recipes, but the truth is, if you’ve never tried bitter melon before, there’s a 99% chance you’re not going to like this dish. This recipe is for those of us who grew up eating karela (bitter melon) and enjoy its strange flavor. It’s an acquired taste – very acquired – so for those who decide to make this Karela stir-fry having never tried it before… you’ve been warned.
There’s a reason this fruit is named bitter melon. When I was a kid, I thought I was being punished when my parents asked me to eat karela. As an adult, I find its bitterness intriguing, so unpalatable that with every bite, I seriously question my taste for enjoying something so ridiculously bitter. I wonder if other bitter melon fans feel the same way. Maybe we’ve learned to like it because of its supposed health benefits?
A strange analogy, but I’m going to compare bitter melon to beer.
I hated beer the first time I tried it, and truthfully, I still do… but most people eventually learn to love it. So, if you hate karela now, maybe one day you’ll wake up and decide that you’re in the mood for something extremely bitter – or maybe not. An interesting little fact – in China, bitter melon is sometimes used in place of hops in beer. So, maybe the beer analogy isn’t so strange after all. 😉
You don’t have to peel the karela when you make it, but doing so helps remove some of the bitterness. I love pairing bitter melon with sweet caramelized onions.
Have you tried karela before?
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil divided
- 4 karela bitter melon, cut into ¼ inch slices
- 1 large onion sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
Instructions
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel the bitter melon.
- Slice the bitter melon into ¼ inch slices and remove as many seeds as possible (the rest will be easy to remove once cooked).
- Add 3 tablespoons of avocado oil to a pan over medium heat. Then add the bitter melon slices and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
- Add the spices and mix well. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes, checking on it halfway to make sure the vegetable isn’t burning.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and the onion, give the pan a good stir then reduce the heat to low-medium heat.
- Put the cover back on and cook for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the onions have caramelized.
Kat says
Ji Ashley, You mention mustard oil in another karela recipe. Curious why you chose to use avocado oil here. Do you think mustard oil would be too strong in this recipe? Thank you for these recipes!
Drew Peacock says
I have a question about karela ripeness, I just got 1 today with slimy red seeds inside and it had started to turn yellow and I tasted a small piece and it was kind of neutral flavor not bitter, I assume it’s just ripe, what’s indian attitude on the fruit when it ripens? Does it have different use?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Drew, I don’t eat red/ripe karela – I would throw it away to be safe.
Avi says
What’s the reason you peel it, I don’t usually not did I this time… but am I missing a secret step?
Great recipe though!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Avi, you don’t have to peel it – it just helps to remove some of the bitterness 🙂
Katerina Daniel says
Saved me from calling my mom for on the fly directions to make the pavakkia. Thanks for helping us with our totally inauthentic but delish Onam sadhya, Ashley!
My Heart Beets says
Katerina, I’m so glad you made this! Happy Onam! 🙂
Manju says
I loved your recipe. It’s simple and delicious. I am always looking for new ways to cook. You used avocado oil. I looked up the benefits of avocado oil and will get some. O look forward to trying other recipes. It is wonderful that you are encorporating North and South Indian flavors.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Manju, that’s so great to hear 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how this turned out for you! I can’t wait to hear what you think of any other recipes you try from my site!
Omar says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I grew up eating this at home and my mom would make it with tomatoes and onions sometimes but almost always with minced meat. As Punjabis, we eat more mutton than beef but you have to try it hollowed with minced beef and if beef is not your thing than atleast with mutton. there are recipes out there where they remove the seeds and stuff it with the minced meat and kind of saute/fry them. I am not a great cook and since my mom passed had been craving this and have tried at least a hundred recipes and it never came out right with the spices either overwhelming or the vegetable cooked to where there is nothing left of it. i didnt even use the peeler (or the salt bath treatment) because thats how everyone i know ate it and it was for the bitterness and the wonderful sweetness of the onion with it and thanks to you i was exposed to that taste again. I really appreciate it. Thanks you once again!
My Heart Beets says
Omar, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe – thank you so much for leaving me a comment. I’m sorry for the loss of your mother – her cooking sounds delicious. I bet this would be delicious paired with ground meat – I will be sure to try a karela and ground meat dish some time and if it works out well, I’ll also be sure to share 🙂 thank you.
Mike says
I eat it raw. I make a sauce using soy bean oil, chopped garlic, chopped red onion and Thai chilli peppers. Then I just dip the melon and bite into it. Delicious.
My Heart Beets says
Oh wow, that’s neat! I’ve never tried it raw, thanks for sharing 🙂
Martina M Walsh says
Very tasty, my family thought it was great tasting, no bitterness.
My Heart Beets says
Martina, that’s awesome! I’m so glad you and your family liked it!
Janina Marte says
I don’t really like the bitter taste of karela but I’m eating it. I heard a lot about its health benefits. I began to eat healthy since I began to have some health problems. I have a question for you who knows the Indian bitter melon. Does it help with the intestines problem, like diverticulitis or diverticulosis?
Anna Mistele says
As a Chinese kid living in Portland, Oregon,, I learned to eat bitter melon sautéed with ground pork. Today, it shows up as a pesky vine in my yard in Honolulu, apparently from seeds dropped by birds. I asked a Korean neighbor about it, and she said it is bitter melon and to eat it when green, not when it turns orange. It is much smaller than the Chinese’s kind I am familiar with, similar to but smaller (less than 2 inches”) than the one pictured in the discussion above. Rather than pulling out the vine and melons and throwing it away, I think, after reading your arrivals and recipes, that I will have to experiment and try it out. Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
I will have to try eating bitter melon with pork one day – it sounds delicious! And that’s interesting! Hope you enjoy the dish 🙂
H Sunshine says
I love Karelia or bitter melons.
I sautéed my bitter melon in olive oil, garlic, onions, tomatoes
With lobsters or shrimps, chicken or pork. Seasoned with ground peppers & salt. Yummy!!!
My Heart Beets says
That all sounds delicious, yum!
Rachel says
My neighbor introduced this to me about a year ago or so. I loved it! As a little girl we were always told we had to at least try something once. If we didn’t like it we never had to eat it again. I ate some pretty odd things as a kid.
My Heart Beets says
Rachel – so awesome that you tried and like this dish! And, I love that – I’m going to have to try that with my kid.
Maria Crawford says
I split in half remove seeds, slice in 1/8 you 1/4″ slices, saute in olive oil inn hot getting pan, add a splash of water to help steam, then sprinkler with dashi seasoning. When almost cooked add scrambled eggs and stir to distribute and cook the eggs. Add a final sprinkle of dashi to finish. Enjoy!
If you have more than you can eat at once, slice and freeze in serving size bags, take out and cook as needed.
My Heart Beets says
That sounds delicious!
Tom Cudzilo says
Never had that veggie before but WOW… love it. Mighty healthy too. Just had this today as a side to butter chicken. Yummmmmmm
https://www.instagram.com/paleo_tomek/
My Heart Beets says
Wow, I’m surprised to hear that you liked this on your first try!! I’m so glad you did!! 🙂
Tom Cudzilo says
I used to be a very picky and unhealthy eater (think tonnes of processed junk). Since I did whole30 rounds and went mostly paleo, I learned to appreciate food and the different tastes and smells. Now I hardly ever put anything on top of my salads (no dressings) and love the way real foods actually tastes. This was no different. I have also learned to explore foods of other cultures and sites like your really help me out.
PS.
Please come out with your book in PDF or for android 🙂 or you will make me buy my very first iAnything just for this lol 🙂
My Heart Beets says
That’s great! I’m really happy to have you as a reader – I love seeing all your pictures 🙂 And btw, my ebook is in PDF format!
roni says
I love bitter melon.
I added scrambled egg cook well done or sirloin beef cut in julienne style.
Love it
My Heart Beets says
Roni, I’ll have to try it that way, sounds delicious 🙂
wilson britto says
any other oil,other than avocado. for eg coconut oil
My Heart Beets says
Wilson, yes coconut oil, ghee, olive oil are all fine to use instead.
Sherry says
This recipe sounds delicious! I have eaten karela at a Chinese-Filipino restaurant
around the corner from where I used to work. I’m an adventurous eater, so I would
look for it on the steam table every week. I even asked for it, and the workers were surprised!
My Heart Beets says
Sherry, that’s awesome 🙂 I love when people are willing to give “different” foods a try!
Sara says
We grow bitter melon on our farm. It is very popular with the Nepali, Indian, and Vietnamese here. We also grow other bitter vegetables like small jilo eggplants and greens like Black edible nightshade. I also don’t mind the taste, and kind of like karela because it is so strange and bitter. Most white americans don’t ever consume bitter vegetables so it’s not an easy taste to acquire. I usually cook it with oinons, spices, lots of potato slices and lots of salt. Thanks for posting this recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Sara, I’m glad to hear that you like karela! I’m going to have to try it with some potatoes next time, that sounds delicious 🙂 I’m curious, since you grow karela… what do you do with your ripe bitter melon?