What is my trick? Oh! i go like Dory in Nemo”pick me!pick me”‘
- Start them young.
- The kids will take time. Don’t give up try again and again.
- The second trick is to eat it in front of them at the mimicking age. That gives them the confidence that it is not so horrible. Now, these are the tricks that worked for me.
Currently, they can tolerate
the bittergourd salad (click here for the recipe)
and love the baked bittergourd chips.
There are a few more recipes they are fond of, my mother in law pavakka pitla and mum’s pavakka thoran. I guess the latter two they like it only when it comes from these respective people and not from me. There is one more recipe they have taken to like a fish to water – the Karela ka bhartha. This is what we explore today.
What is Karela ka bhartha?
Should the karela be chopped or grated?
An aunt of mine used to finely chop the bittergourd to avoid her family from picking them out. This actually reduced the cooking time and the way the spices infused in this vegetable. this time I decided to follow her footsteps and get a fine mince of the bittergourd. In hindsight, I will grate the bittergourd next time such that it saves me a lot of time from all the mincing.
What difference does the dungar make?
Dungar is the method of infusing smoke into the curries. This is easily achieved with a tiny steel bowl, a piece of charcoal ember and a tsp of ghee or oil. Once the recipe is ready, tuck in a katori or a small bowl in the centre and place a burning charcoal piece in the bowl. Keep a lid to cover the pot ready and drizzle a couple of drops of ghee onto the charcoal. Immediately cover the set-up and leave it for 5 minutes. the smoke that rises infuses into the curry. This is a defining fragrance of all bharthas. I have loosely adapted this method from here. Of course, I did this outside so that it won’t set off my fire alarms.
What pairs with karele ka bhartha?
The classic combo of Bhartha with and Indian flat bread like phulka or roti is always welcomed. A small bowl of yogurt on the side or cucumber raita on the side helps to tone down the bitterness.
Mealprep and storage
Karele ka bhartha is perfect recipe to be meal prepped. Infact I like the recipe after it has sat overnight in the refirgerator. It usually stays for a eek in fridge without any issues. Do not reheat and put back in fridge, rather just reheat the portion that you will be having. It freezes equally good and stays well for 3 months.
Karela ka bhartha
Equipment
- frying pan
Ingredients
Main ingredient
- 3-4 long bittergourds
For the buna masala
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger root
- 1 long green chilli
- 1 large red onion
- 2 large tomatoes
- 3/4 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp aamchur (dry mango powder)
- 1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1 pinch Asafoetida
- 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
For the dungar
- 1 tsp ghee / clarified butter ( use 1 tsp cooking oil for vegan)
- 1 small piece charcoal
Garnishing
- 2-3 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
Instructions
- Prep all your ingredients:Mince the garlic, green chilli and ginger, chop the onion, tomato and as fine as you can the bittergourds and keep them ready.
- Heat a pan and add the oil.
- As the oil heats up add the cumin, garlic, ginger and green chillies.
- When they turn golden brown saute the chopped onion.
- As the onions start turning translucent add the tomatoes and let them cook down.
- Keep mixing as it tends to catch the bottom of the pan ( kadai).
- As the tomatoes start mashing, turn the heat to medium, add the spice powders and the masalas.
- Keep saute on and dont leave the stove.
- Once you can see a thin film of oil separating, add the bittergourd chopped.
- Mix well, add about 1/4 cup of water and cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- The bittergourd would have leached more water by now and become softer. If there is no water add a bit more, mix well , cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Mash this mix a bit to have a even mix of the sabji.
- Sprinkle the coriandler leaves, cover and remove from heat.
for the dungar
- Make a small well in the middle of the sabji and place a steel katori ( bowl) in it.
- Burn the charcoal piece using tongs. once it has caught on fire, place it in the katori.
- Keep the lid handy.
- Pour a few drops of ghee or oil on the burning coal amd immediately close the lid.
- Allow this set up to stay for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Open the lid after the time, remove the katori and the charcoal.
- Mix the sabji well and it would have infused the smokey flavour.
- Serve the sabji warm with phulkas or bread.
Can I make bhartha with other vegetables?
Bhartha is a common Indian dish with a few different vegetables. Commonly roasted eggplant ( aubergine) makes this recipe. The recipe can also be made with broad beans, bottle gourd and pumpkin. They are all slightly different in flavours. The Alu kangmet recipe we made earlier is also a version of bhartha.
Stay connected
This recipe is close to our hearts and we love making it oftn. It is such a delight to share this recipe with the members of Shh cooking secretly towards the diabetic friendly recipe collection called for by Preethis Cuisine. I worked with Sweet Spicy and tasty blog to find ingredients that will work in this recipe.When you make this recipe do share if you enjoyed it in the comments.
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Karela ka bharta sounds so interesting Seema ! Love the idea of infusing smakoe into the curry using dungar method, as it lends a typical smokey flavor and aroma to this bitter gourd mash. Definitely going to give it a try.
I will love to hear how you review it Poonam.
I love Karela and this Karela ka Bartha sounds too delish.. I am soon going to try out this for my younger one as he makes a face while having kerela.. I can imagine how rustic the bartha must have tasted with infused smoke from burning charcoal..
We started out with the deep-fried versions, bittergourd fries recipe ( link in the post) first for the children to et them accustomed to it. Now they are fine with the flavours.
[…] coffee, bitter gourd, fenugreek leaves and seeds. You guys should absolutely check out the amazing Karele Ka Bharta that Seema has made for the […]
Seema I’m one person who has a hate hate relationship with karela. However, don’t mind the karela chips, but just a few. While I hate it hubby loves karela. So am sure when I try out your karela ka bartha he’ll be so happy. Quite a unique dish actually.
Try it out in a small portion Mayuri di. We started small too for the children till they caught on well.
Karela is not only mine but even my son’s favourite vegetable. This karela bhurta is something new for me so have to try it. I liked the idea of dhungar, to give this bharta the feel of real bharta.
I hope I will hear both the reviews when you try this recipe then!!
What a unique recipe, Seema! I’ve never come across bharta made using bitter gourd, but you make it look and sound so very flavourful. Love the bhuna masala you have prepared here, as well as the way you have infused smoke into the bharta. Would definitely like to try out this recipe!
It is Not a traditional recipe, as outlined in the post it was derived due to the refrigerator stock. The buna masala is the traditional one and so is the method of dungar.
Karele ka bharta looks so tasty. I love karela preparations of any kind. Will try your recipe also. I loved the idea of dungar to get the smoky flavours as we arenotroasting the karelas like we do with the brinjal.
Thats correct. The smokiness also masks the bitter flavour from hitting the tastebuds at first.
I am imagining how bitter it will be when you mince it, but when added to all that spices and cook so well, it will not. Based on your family reviews and the super tempting pic and recipe, I will try this for my family. Wonderful share.
It is very bitter if you don’t have all that buna masala to soften the flavour for sure. The moment the spices and the dungar hits, the bittergourd flavour is less pronounced. I will wait to hear how your family feels about it.
Karele ka bharta sounds interesting. A very unique recipe. We make karela bharta with boiled bitter gourd and potatoes and raw mustard oil, salt and Kasundi to serve with steamed rice. Loved this unique recipe and the idea of charcoal to give smoking flavour.
It is interesting to know you have a version of Bhartha with karela too. I will be glad to try your recipe as well, sounds totally different.
Me I am a big fan of bitter gourd any form I enjoy it. So with this bitter theme you set us on I have a collection of recipe I want to try. Karela bharta is one of them. Thanks for a newer way to hoodwink the family. 😀
I am so happy you have a collection, The dungar and the buna masala is the whole hood wink for sure before they realise what they are eating!!
Being a punjabi I am a die heart fan of bartha but never thought of Karela ka bartha. Seema your recipe looks so tempting and flavourful that I just want to have a bite with a parantha. Thanks for sharing this
Meera for sure it will taste amazing with paratha. The flavours are all intact in the bhartha.
Seeing all the various karela recipes on this challenge, especially yours, I am totally convinced that I have to try cooking this vegetable really soon. I am no fan of it and ignore it as much as I can, but now I don’t think I can do the same. Hehe… The bartha seems to be a very good idea to camoflage the bitterness…
My hubby loves karela. This karela Bharta sounds awesome. I am bookmarking this recipe as I am sure he will love it . Never thought of making karela Bharta Seema. Very innovative.
Karela ka bhartha sounds very interesting, just like your aunt my mom use to chop all veggies and curry leaves very finely. So that my brother can’t take out veggies, but my brother use his special skills 🤭. Loved the smoky aroma in bhartha its just amazing.
Karela ka bharta sounds wow..one of the best ways to feed karela to those having the love hate relationship… I love how well the Finley chopped karela has blended well with the tomato onion masala
Karela ka bharta looks so delicious and ideal to have with any kind of flatbread. Liked the smokey Dangar method you have used here. I must give this dish a try sometime Seema. Good to have you as a partner for the theme.
This bitter gourd bharta looks so delicious. I would love the smoky flavor from charcoal. Great recipe and would love to try it.
Karela ka bartha looks so delicious. I would also love to cook karela with a lot of onions. Love the smoky flavor you impart.
ahaaaa what a beauty seema !
We, odias also make bharta of karela, but before it we steam the karela and then mash it to use. Your seems awesome using dungar method
Karela bhartha would be loved by the bittergourd fans back home. I loved the tips on smoking this too, Seema. bookmarking to try soon!
Love this smoky flavoured Karele ka Bharta. My boys love Karela and I am definitely going to try this soon. Thank you for the wonderful recipe . It is so flavourful and delicious.
Your recipe brought a smile to my face! It’s my favourite bitter gourd in a new form. Bharta, here I come! I’m ordering veggies today, so I’m adding bitter gourd to my basket. I Had forgotten about smoking the bharta so thanks for reminding me.
Loved this smokey flavored and tasty karela ka bhartha. I used to hate karela but now it’s one of my favourite veggie ,will definitely try ur version.
Karela ka bhartha seems so flavourful …….I would love to enjoy this version sometime soon !
Making bharta with karela is just wow. I never would have mustered the courage to make it,but thanks to your recipe ,I will try it soon!
A good way to feed the karela for the family members. I am sure it is tasty and well hidden. No one can easily guess the veggie here.
Karele ka bharta sounds so tempting Seema. We usually make Karele ka bharta with boiled karela, raw mustard oil, salt etc served with steamed rice. This bhartha is completely different. Loved this spicy delicious bharta. I will surely try it next time.