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    Home Β» Recipes Β» VARUVALS

    Bitter gourd chips | Karela chips | Pavakkai varuval

    March 14, 2012 by Raks Anand 83 Comments / Jump to Recipe

    Crispy bitter gourd chips | Karela chips | How to make pavakkai varuval with step by step photos.

    crispy bitter gourd chips
    pavakkai chips

    This crispy and crunchy chips is a deep fried chips are mildly spicy, bitter and salty in a balanced way to make it addictive.

    This bitter gourd chips recipe is a gluten free one with rice flour and the karela (bitter gourd/ pavakkai) also is coated with spices.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • My notes
    • Top tips
    • Step by step photos
    • Recipe card

    Ingredients

    Bitter gourd - I used bitter gourd from Malaysia, Indian karela works too. Usually the long variety or medium length variety works well than the mini / tiny midhi pavakkai.

    How to choose (buy) bitter gourd pavakkai? Choose green and firm ones and avoid yellow/ orangish and soft ones. A young bitter gourd works best than old one because the later has hard seeds and will be tough to slice.

    Flours - I use only rice flour and corn flour, no besan in this as we always make varuvals with rice flour and corn flour alone.

    Because of it, the chips are light, airy and stays crisp longer.

    Despite the flour used, the crispiness depends on how the mixture is coated with spice and the method it is deep fried.

    Spices - You can add chilli powder and coriander powder with turmeric. But I use my sambar powder which is mostly the above.

    If you are using red chilli powder, make sure to use a spicy one, not the reddish Kashmiri chilli powder.

    My notes

    This pavakkai/ bitter gourd/ pavakkai is Malaysian variety. If you are using Indian karela, and depending on the variety you get, it may be too much bitter.

    Here are some ways to get rid of bitterness:

    • Soak in sour buttermilk. Then wash off and squeeze the excess moisture away.
    • Marinate with salt, turmeric and lemon juice / tamarind extract and later squeeze out the extra water that leaves out from karela.
    • After mixing the flour I make immediately or keep it refrigerated and fry within 2-3 hours maximum.
    • The fried karela chips must be store only after cooling down in an airtight container. I refrigerate so that it stays crisp longer.

    Top tips

    Here are some tips to make perfect karela chips:

    • Firstly slice the bitter gourd thin and even. Use a mandoline slicer if you have a sharp one. this ensures uniform thickness.
    • Secondly coat the slices with spices and flour just right. Neither too dry nor watery/ too gooey. You should be able to sprinkle easily over oil.
    • Thirdly, deep fry patiently. First in high flame and once the sound ceases, in medium or low flame to make it crisp.
    • Last but not least, do not over crowd the oil. For an optimum temperature, you should always add the bitter gourd (pavakkai) according to the oil amount. So that it will fry freely and evenly.
    pavakkai chips, Bitter gourd chips
    Bitter gourd chips

    Vj used to say that the key is to slice thinly and evenly. But I never had a hope to get it perfect.

    Last week he bought bitter gourd and he himself sliced and showed me. I didn't do any so called processes to remove the bitterness. Just made it simply and the result is…

    Crisp, evenly fried, very very mild bitterness that is a plus for the chips. I was so happy and wanted to record this recipe here.

    One of my reader also requested to post Karela recipes, so I thought I should try and post here.

    So today I did to share with you all and keep this recipe recorded here!

    Step by step photos

    1. Wash bitter gourd firstly and remove both the tapering ends of the bitter gourd. Slice as thin as possible, mainly all should be even in thickness, so that it gets cooked perfect. You can also use a slicer to do this.
    1-bitter-gourd

    2. Mix rice flour, corn flour, turmeric, sambar powder, salt with the sliced bitter gourds.

    Sprinkle water and mix evenly. Do not add more.

    deep-fry

    3. After that, heat oil in kadai and when it is hot, add the karelas in sprinkled way. Furthermore, make sure none of them are stuck to each other.

    Cook in medium flame until the bubbles and sounds ceases. It should be golden in colour and light in weight. Finally drain in paper towel.

    deep-fried

    Serve as accompaniment for rice or enjoy as such as chips! You can store it in airtight container and use for 2-3 days.

    crispy karela chips
    karela chips

    Related recipes

    • Pavakka stir fry
    • Bittergourd podi
    • Pavakka pitlai

    Recipe card

    crispy pavakkai chips
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    Crispy bitter gourd chips

    Crispy bitter gourd chips | Karela chips | How to make pavakkai varuval with step by step photos.
    Course Snack
    Cuisine Indian
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes
    Servings 4 people
    Cup measurements

    Ingredients

    • 5 Bitter gourd karela / pavakkai
    • 3 tablespoon Rice flour
    • 1 tablespoon corn flour
    • 1.5 teaspoon Sambar powder red chilli powder
    • ΒΌ teaspoon Turmeric
    • Salt - As needed
    • 1 tablespoon Water approx.
    • Oil - To deep fry
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Wash bitter gourd firstly and remove both the tapering ends of the bitter gourd.
    • Slice as thin as possible, mainly all should be even in thickness, so that it gets cooked perfect. You can also use a slicer to do this.
    • Mix rice flour, corn flour, turmeric, sambar powder, salt with the sliced bitter gourds.
    • Sprinkle water and mix evenly. Do not add more.
    • After that, heat oil in kadai and when it is hot, add the karelas in sprinkled way. Furthermore, make sure none of them are stuck to each other.
    • Cook in medium flame until the bubbles and sounds ceases. It should be golden in colour and light in weight.
    • Finally drain in paper towel.

    Notes

    • It was not at all bitterΒ in-spiteΒ of the fact that I dint do anything special to remove the bitterness! May be deepΒ fryingΒ method wont have much bitterness. Instead, when I tried to so something to remove the bitterness, they were not that crisp!
    • Frying in medium flame is must to get cooked evenly and crisp without getting dark in colour.
    • Add water only a little to just make the rice flour hold over the bitter gourd.
    • Remove any big hard seeds if any in the bitter gourd after slicing. If its tender then no need to worry.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anu

      March 15, 2012 at 12:48 am

      WOW!!! Crispy pavakkai fry. As usual tempting clicks.

      Reply
    2. Unknown

      March 15, 2012 at 1:02 am

      Wow.. Looks very nice.. Good that I have karelas.. Will try tomo...

      Reply
    3. Anonymous

      March 15, 2012 at 1:05 am

      I needed just the recipe for the bag of bitter gourd sitting in the refrigerator! πŸ™‚

      Reply
    4. Sobha Shyam

      March 15, 2012 at 1:11 am

      wow, they look so crispy n yummy, not a big fan of karela..but this sure looks good πŸ™‚

      Reply
    5. Sreevalli

      March 15, 2012 at 1:12 am

      They look yummy.. My favorite..

      Reply
    6. Home Cooked Oriya Food

      March 15, 2012 at 1:31 am

      looks crisp and yummy...

      Reply
    7. Kanchan

      March 15, 2012 at 1:32 am

      Even I prepare this same thing, we call it Kaapi πŸ™‚ Infact when I was a kid I never liked it but slowly now I prefer these πŸ™‚

      Reply
    8. Swapna Raghu Sanand

      March 15, 2012 at 1:46 am

      I too hated pavakkai while growing up but it was a strict rule by my grandmother that you can't skip it. So i used to have it. Now when I read your post, I was reminded of how I used to cry while being forced to eat pavakkai but I remember it fondly, in memory of my grandmother who passed away some years back.

      Reply
    9. Anonymous

      March 15, 2012 at 2:06 am

      I love karela and wish more people whom I cook for shared my love so that I could make it more often. Good thing this keeps for 2-3 days, I could eat a whole batch by myself πŸ™‚

      Reply
    10. Sharmilee! :)

      March 15, 2012 at 2:17 am

      Looks crispy and perfect..I love pavakkai in any form. Beautiful composition and clicks

      Reply
    11. Srimathi

      March 15, 2012 at 2:46 am

      As much as I don't like bitter gourd, I like varuval a lot.Nice presentation.

      Reply
    12. Hamaree Rasoi

      March 15, 2012 at 3:03 am

      Wish I could make such crispy and amazing looking bitter gourd fries. The pics of your preparation looks stunning.

      Deepa
      Hamaree Rasoi

      Reply
    13. priya ravi

      March 15, 2012 at 3:06 am

      wow looks very crispy and yumm.. love them very much

      Reply
    14. Cilantro

      March 15, 2012 at 3:11 am

      My daughter loves it when I make it this way. I have never used corn flour to it, looks nice and crispy.

      Reply
    15. Hema

      March 15, 2012 at 3:26 am

      Very nicely done, you have used only corn and rice flour, no kadala maavu, all the slices are so evenly coated with the batter too..

      Reply
    16. Aarthi

      March 15, 2012 at 3:46 am

      this looks yummy ..I love karela, amma makes us pitlai and fries often

      Reply
    17. Shabitha Karthikeyan

      March 15, 2012 at 4:09 am

      We simply love karela !! I make it the same and way and my hubby is the one who cuts πŸ™‚

      Reply
    18. Recipe world

      March 15, 2012 at 4:09 am

      Wow, they look so crispy..perfectly done!

      Reply
    19. Rasi

      March 15, 2012 at 4:14 am

      has come out so well.. The slices are so thin & finely cut.. I love pavakkai & love this πŸ™‚

      Ongoing Event: I'm a STAR

      Reply
    20. Divya Kudua

      March 15, 2012 at 4:28 am

      Me too posted a bittergourd fry!!Love the addition of sambhar powder-must try!

      Reply
    21. Vimitha Anand

      March 15, 2012 at 4:41 am

      My hubby's all time favorite. Looks so crunchy and yummy

      Reply
    22. Pavithra Elangovan

      March 15, 2012 at 4:57 am

      Raji same pinch.. I did this today:) I make them exactly the way you do except that I add little besan with the mixture and different seasoning. I will post my version soon. This is my son and our family favorite. Since my son is in spring break I did this today for him.

      Reply
    23. Radhika

      March 15, 2012 at 5:03 am

      I love pavakkai chips but the others at home do not, so I make it very rarely. I make the same way too except I add a little kadala maavu.

      Reply
    24. Prathibha

      March 15, 2012 at 5:13 am

      Bittergourd when deep fried will not be as bitter as when its not and hubby is a big fan of these chips but I dont deep fry much on regular basis..but tried to give d same effect by pre boiling n baking..it tastes good n not bitter too..before I forget lemme say they r always a fav at my place

      Reply
    25. Vardhini

      March 15, 2012 at 5:18 am

      My favorite and I have one in my drafts. I just do not like the old pictures and it is still pending :). Looks crunchy and tempting Raks.

      Reply
    26. Valarmathi Sanjeev

      March 15, 2012 at 5:57 am

      Yummy, cripsy bittergourds....looks absolutely delicious.

      Reply
    27. Kalpana Sareesh

      March 15, 2012 at 5:58 am

      see now i think i can eat bittergourd so u get the entire credit..looks amazing n def will try it ..

      Reply
    28. Kavitha Bhargav

      March 15, 2012 at 6:04 am

      I love it with curd rice. I used to add little salt with the slices and keep aside for 10 minutes after mixing it well. This way it will leave out water and it will be with very less bitterness.

      Reply
    29. Chitra

      March 15, 2012 at 7:16 am

      Myself and aunty make like this for ourself and we love it very much πŸ™‚ lovely clicks as always .

      Reply
    30. Rashida shaikh

      March 15, 2012 at 7:25 am

      Your pics say it all...Looks amazing.

      Reply
    31. Shobha Kamath

      March 15, 2012 at 9:05 am

      Your pics are amazing ! Love these crispy fries.

      Reply
    32. Kaveri

      March 15, 2012 at 9:29 am

      They look awesome...My MIL generally adds a little tamarind paste as well..that gives it a nice spicy tangy taste

      Reply
    33. Amarendra

      March 15, 2012 at 11:07 am

      This is awesome.. the pics are very inviting.

      Reply
    34. Ramya

      March 15, 2012 at 12:53 pm

      We r a big fan of bitter gourds and this is a regular at home! its a perfect combo with Curd rice! Yours looks awesome Raks

      Reply
    35. Akila

      March 15, 2012 at 1:23 pm

      So crispy n lovely

      Reply
    36. Akila

      March 15, 2012 at 1:23 pm

      So crispy n lovely

      Reply
    37. Laavanya

      March 15, 2012 at 1:39 pm

      My mom makes this often and this is the only way in which my husband will eat pavakkai too.. I try to bake instead but nothing equals this deep fried goodness! :)Very tempting pics.

      Reply
    38. Shama Nagarajan

      March 15, 2012 at 1:52 pm

      wow..yummy crispy fries

      Reply
    39. S.Menaga

      March 15, 2012 at 2:24 pm

      I love this veggie any form...perfect combo with curd rice,love it!!

      Reply
    40. jeyashrisuresh

      March 15, 2012 at 2:33 pm

      My favorite veggie and this will taste yum with sambar rice

      Reply
    41. Suja Manoj

      March 15, 2012 at 3:11 pm

      Crispy,makes me hungry..love this veggie so much.

      Reply
    42. sangee vijay

      March 15, 2012 at 4:57 pm

      wow...this looks so crispy n yummy...addition of corn flour gives more crisp n taste rt? i use to bake them but i am tempted so much on seeing yours,so will try this soon...superb clicks!!

      Reply
    43. Preeti Kashyap

      March 15, 2012 at 7:20 pm

      I love this dish...make it often with mor khuzhambu...yumm. I add some pepper as well for extra punch.

      Reply
    44. notyet100

      March 16, 2012 at 12:03 am

      Platter looks delicious,..specially with the bitter gourd fries,,.

      Reply
    45. Spandana

      March 16, 2012 at 6:11 am

      Never liked bittergourd much.. but these fries look as if they have no bitter taste. Nice pics!

      Reply
    46. Tina

      March 16, 2012 at 7:01 am

      Crispy and yummyyyy...

      Reply
    47. Athisaya Divya

      March 17, 2012 at 3:48 am

      Karela fries look very pretty Raks. WIll make any person who hates karela start loving it.

      Reply
    48. Maayeka

      March 17, 2012 at 4:33 am

      very crisp and delicious karela fry..

      Reply
    49. Elpiniki

      March 17, 2012 at 2:57 pm

      These fries look yummy! Great shape!

      Reply
    50. Ramya

      March 17, 2012 at 4:30 pm

      even i dont like karela, except when fried. this is a very nice recipe

      Reply
    51. Rinku Naveen

      March 17, 2012 at 5:56 pm

      Love karela and this one looks so tempting Raji! Yumm.. want to try this. May be my kids too will like it this way.Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    52. Deeps @ Naughty Curry

      March 18, 2012 at 6:58 am

      looks crunchy & yum.. i love bitter gourd

      Reply
    53. faseela

      March 18, 2012 at 10:18 am

      wow....yummy n crunchy fry....my sons fav.

      Reply
    54. Premalatha Aravindhan

      March 19, 2012 at 3:15 am

      Nice way to bring kids to eat bitter gourd...luk crispy and delicious...

      Reply
    55. radha

      March 19, 2012 at 5:30 pm

      These were very good. Thanks for the recipe. Posting it soon

      Reply
    56. Anonymous

      March 19, 2012 at 9:45 pm

      Lovely! Perfect and wonderful recipe:) The photo right above the description is drool worthy.

      Reply
    57. Sushma Mallya

      March 20, 2012 at 8:05 pm

      I simply love bitter gourd fry but as my hubby doesnt like it ...I hardly do it...Looks so yum!

      Reply
    58. Vanamala Hebbar

      March 21, 2012 at 4:54 pm

      My aunt makes this similar type..will try

      Reply
    59. vidhas

      March 21, 2012 at 5:09 pm

      Crispy chips. looks yum, great clicks Raji.

      Reply
    60. saradha

      March 24, 2012 at 8:38 pm

      Baking them in oven at 350 also yields crispy yummy pavakkai chips.
      Looks yum :-).

      Reply
    61. Anonymous

      March 26, 2012 at 4:46 am

      Extremely Good!!!I tried it and it came out the same way as in the picture. It was excellent!!!

      Reply
    62. empty

      May 24, 2012 at 1:43 am

      Many thanks for the recipe, I made this last night and it was nice and crispy.
      cheers

      Reply
    63. savi

      July 26, 2012 at 6:18 am

      hi i tried this today. it cames out crispy & the taste is too god... tnx a lot...

      Reply
    64. savi

      July 26, 2012 at 6:18 am

      i tried today.. it came's out crispy and the taste is too gud..... thanks a lot...

      Reply
    65. Sangee

      December 16, 2012 at 2:47 pm

      Hai i tried it today and i liked this. It came out well thanks for your recipe.

      Reply
    66. rama vardhini

      January 23, 2013 at 1:58 pm

      Hi, I am a great fan of your blog and I have tried so many recipes from your blog! It has turned out well and got appreciations too! πŸ™‚ Thanks for it...
      By the way can we add curd instead of water to mix with the veggie? As I saw your post where Okra was mixed with curd to bind.

      Thanks,
      Vardhini

      Reply
    67. RAKS KITCHEN

      January 23, 2013 at 1:59 pm

      Sure sure you can use curd, makes more crispy πŸ™‚

      Reply
    68. M.dot

      April 16, 2013 at 3:31 pm

      Hi! This is the first recipe I've tried from your blog. I haven't eaten much karela in my life and didn't think I would like it. But the other day, my husband picked it up while we were grocery shopping... and said - just try a recipe. Looked for some fried karela recipes and zeroed in on yours... and it made for a yummy yummy lunch. Thank you πŸ™‚

      Reply
    69. Kaushalya

      April 14, 2014 at 12:29 am

      Try adding crushed garlic to the mixture and marinate for some time....Just put it in the fridge.....It tastes heavenly.

      Reply
    70. Renuka Ambbarees

      August 08, 2014 at 1:36 pm

      Don't have corn flour....how to do ?

      Reply
    71. Raks anand

      August 08, 2014 at 1:37 pm

      Just skip it.

      Reply
    72. Charu Mathy

      October 02, 2014 at 3:24 pm

      hi raks i have tried this bitter gourd fry and rasgulla it has cum perfect πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ thanks a lot for the lovely dishes πŸ™‚

      Reply
    73. Beulah

      August 28, 2015 at 6:56 am

      Does it require to be sundried before frying to remove the moisture ?

      Reply
    74. Raks anand

      August 28, 2015 at 6:57 am

      No need to dry.

      Reply
    75. Beulah

      September 05, 2015 at 4:53 am

      If I'm baking the Bittergourd what temp and how ing should I keep to get crispy fries?

      Reply
    76. Raks anand

      September 05, 2015 at 6:18 am

      I havent tried it. May be 190 deg C ?

      Reply
    77. Shuba Rajesh

      December 16, 2015 at 10:37 am

      This is awesome. No bitter taste. Thanks Raks...

      Reply
    78. Maddy

      December 23, 2015 at 1:20 am

      I just tried... They came crisy but still bitter in taste :(((

      Reply
    79. k lb

      April 07, 2016 at 10:05 am

      Is that oil can be used for other dishes

      Reply
    80. Raks anand

      April 07, 2016 at 10:46 am

      It is always better to not re use oil. It will also have bitter gourd smell. If you are fine with these, you can use for tempering. I suggest you to keep little oil and fry in small batches, tiring but less wastage πŸ™‚

      Reply
    81. Neelmani Verma

      October 30, 2016 at 1:01 am

      Made this today... It came just awesome crispy taste. We are going to have with dal and chappati. Thanks Raji for publishing this recipe πŸ™‚

      Reply
    82. Unknown

      September 18, 2018 at 11:30 am

      Thanks for the recipe. When deep fried in oil does the oil get bitter? Or can I reuse the oil for frying anything else after frying bitter gourd ? Thanks in advance.

      Reply
    83. Raks Kitchen

      September 24, 2018 at 3:06 pm

      Keep less oil and fry in small batches, so that you can discard the oil after using. That's what I do.

      Reply

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    Raks anand

    Hi, I'm Rajeswari Vijayanand! I am the person behind Rakskitchen, sharing recipes with pictures & videos.

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    Raks anand

    Hi, I'm Rajeswari Vijayanand! I am the person behind Rakskitchen, sharing recipes with pictures & videos.

    More about me β†’

    Popular

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