• Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Raks Kitchen

  • Home
  • Recipe index
    • New recipe index
    • Old recipe index
  • HEALTHY COOKING
    • INDIAN OATS RECIPES
    • MILLET RECIPES
    • SALAD
    • SOUPS
    • SUNDAL RECIPES
  • LUNCH MENUS
    • Indo chinese
    • North Indian menu
    • South Indian menu
    • LUNCH PLANNER
    • Lunch box ideas
  • FESTIVAL RECIPES
    • Tamil New Year recipes
    • PONGAL RECIPES
    • VINAYAGAR CHATURTHI RECIPES
    • DIWALI SNACKS
    • INDIAN DIWALI SWEET RECIPES
    • KARTHIGAI DEEPAM RECIPES
    • Gokulashtami Date, Recipes, Guide
    • Navaratri sundal recipes, Navratri snacks
  • COLLECTIONS
    • Kuzhambu recipes
    • Paneer recipes
    • Baby corn recipes
    • Side dish for chapati
    • Side dish for idli dosa
  • Amazon Store
Home » ACCOMPANIMENTS » Crispy bitter gourd fries | Karela fries (Pavakkai varuval)

Crispy bitter gourd fries | Karela fries (Pavakkai varuval)

March 14, 2012 by Raks Anand 83 Comments /

crispy-bitter-gourd-fries
I never liked pavakkai / bitter gourd / karela. When my mom used to make pavakkai pitlai or sambar when I was a kid, I used to cry while eating… yes! Its compulsory to eat veggies and we had no choice to say NO to any vegetables cooked. I hate that much. She even does pavakkai varuval, never liked it though. But Vj loves pavakkai , but only this deep fried, crispy pavakkai. So I tried making this few times. I used to think, pavakkai should be having bitterness and used to wash so much times and soak in butter milk or water with lemon juice or tamarind extract and try making this crispy fries. But never got perfect crisp fries. But 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 dint 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 fries. 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!
Pavakkai-karela-crispy

Crispy bitter gourd fries recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Side dish
Prep Time: 15 mins     |  Cook time: 25 mins     |  Serves: 4

Ingredients

Bitter gourd/ pavakkai – 5-6


Rice flour – 3 tblsp


corn flour – 1 tblsp


Sambar powder/red chilli powder – 1 & 1/2 tsp


Turmeric – 1/4 tsp


Salt – As needed


Water – 1 tblsp(approx.)


Oil – To deep fry


Method

  1. Wash 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.
  2. 1-bitter-gourd

  3. Mix rice,corn flours, turmeric, sambar powder,salt with the sliced bitter gourds. Sprinkle water and mix evenly. Do not add more.
  4. 2-bitter-gourd

  5. Heat oil in kadai and when it is hot, add the karelas in sprinkled way. 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. Drain in paper towel.
  6. 3-bitter-gourd

Notes

  • It was not at all bitter in-spite of the fact that I dint do anything special to remove the bitterness! May be deep frying 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.

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-fry

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: ACCOMPANIMENTS, SNACKS

Previous Post: « Macaroni and cheese (Stove top recipe)
Next Post: Kara kuzhambu recipe | Kara kulambu with brinjal and drumstick »

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! 🙂

    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 🙂

    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 🙂 Infact when I was a kid I never liked it but slowly now I prefer these 🙂

    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 🙂

    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 🙂

    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 🙂

    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 🙂 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! 🙂 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 🙂

    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 🙂

    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 8, 2014 at 1:36 pm

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

    Reply
  71. Raks anand

    August 8, 2014 at 1:37 pm

    Just skip it.

    Reply
  72. Charu Mathy

    October 2, 2014 at 3:24 pm

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

    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 5, 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 5, 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 7, 2016 at 10:05 am

    Is that oil can be used for other dishes

    Reply
  80. Raks anand

    April 7, 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 🙂

    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 🙂

    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

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

About Me

Hi,
I am Rajeswari Vijayanand, cook, author, photographer behind Raks Kitchen.

Instagram

Read More…

Latest posts

  • Avocado crema, avocado dip/ spread
  • Veppam poo thuvaiyal, neem flower recipes
  • Dangar chutney, Dangar side dish for idli dosa
  • Bajra khichdi recipe, pearl millet khichdi
  • No bake oats energy balls, oats peanut butter energy bites

Browse older posts

logo

Browse by category

BY INGREDIENT

  • PANEER RECIPES
  • CARROT RECIPES
  • BEETROOT RECIPES
  • MILLET RECIPES

Top Posts & Pages

  • Chapati noodles recipe | Chapathi noodles | Dinner ideas
  • Eggless doughnut recipe, Basic donut, soft & light
  • Dangar chutney, Dangar side dish for idli dosa
  • Nutella banana milkshake recipe | Nutella recipes
  • Vegetable puff recipe, Indian style veg puffs
  • Adai recipe, How to make adai
  • Recipe index
  • Easy rasam recipe, How to make rasam
  • Medhu vadai, Ulundu vadai recipe - With video
  • Appam recipe without yeast, How to make appam

TOP CATEGORIES

  • TIFFIN SAMBAR RECIPES
  • BIRYANI RECIPES
  • PULAO RECIPES
  • DOSA RECIPES

IDIYAPPAM RECIPES

  • Chilli garlic vegetable idiyappam
  • Schezwan style idiyappam recipe
  • Masala tomato idiyappam, winning recipe by Sanjana Yugan
  • Lemon idiyappam recipe
  • Kothu idiyappam recipe | Masala idiyappam
  • Idiyappam varieties | Lemon, Dal, sweet (Breakfast menu–18)
  • Sweet idiyappam recipe (With coconut and Jaggery)
  • Stuffed idiyappam – Breakfast menu 7
  • Milagu jeeraga idiyappam recipe | Breakfast recipes
  • Puli idiyappam recipe | Variety idiyappam recipes
  • Thengai sevai recipe | Coconut sevai
  • Tomato sevai | Thakkali sevai recipe

PIZZA RECIPES

  • Stovetop pizza recipe, Tawa pizza
  • Pizza sandwich recipe | Easy kids lunch box ideas
  • Pizza dosa recipe | Kids snack recipes
  • Veggie thin crust pizza recipe
  • Spicy veggie pizza recipe | Homemade pizza with Zucchini topping
  • Paneer tikka pizza recipe| Indian flavored pizza
  • Bread pizza Bread cup pizza recipe
  • Homemade pizza recipe, how to make pizza

Footer

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

I am Raks anand, writer and photographer of this recipe website. My real name is Rajeswari Vijayanand. It has been almost 10+ years of blogging and I thought if you want to know more about me, I should introduce myself to you all… I am also like most of the house wives, who learnt cooking only after marriage... Read More

Copyright © 2007 - 2019 Raks Kitchen, All rights reserved.
Privacy & Cookies