Karela Chips Recipe with step by step images and video. Karela Chips is a crispy snack with all 4 tastes , salt , sour , sweet and bitter in it. These bittergourd chips are crispy , crunchy and tasty too with spice , sour and hint of bitterness.
This post shares a baked version of karela/ bitter gourd chips . But following the same recipe , you can even deep fry , if you wish.
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About this recipe
Bitter gourd chips recipe is very crispy and tasty. Even a bitter gourd hater would finish this within a minute, it comes out so crunch and balanced with all tastes. I mentioned this because even my 6 year old picky eater finishes a bowl of crispy karela chips within minutes and comes back asking for more.
Well, to make this crispy chips , I have used tamarind juice , gram flour , rice flour , spices , jaggery and tablespoon of Olive oil. You can use any cooking oil here . And there is no actual measurement for the amount of spices used here as you can alter according to your taste. All you need to use is jaggery for sweetness and also tamarind or lemon juice to remove excess of bitterness from Bitter gourd.
Watch Video
Pro-tips and Variations to make Karela Chips Recipe
- Soaking Bitter gourd in salt and tamarind juice , helps to remove harsh bitter juice from Karela. If tamarind is not available , you can use lime juice.
- Adding curry leaves enhances the taste of chips , though its optional.
- Baking time may vary depending on oven temperature hence keep a eye on oven after 20 minutes as you may don't want to burn the chips.
- Dry mango Powder / Amachur powder is recommened , as it adds a ting of flavorful tartness to chips. If Amachur is not availble, then add 2-3 drops of lime juice.
- Jaggery powder is recommended if not available can sugar as a substitute.
- Flour : Rice flour can be replaced with corn flour / corn starch to get crunchy texture to the chips.
Health Benefits of Bitter Gourd | Karela | Hagalakai | Pavakkai
Bitter gourd contains important nutrients ranging from iron, magnesium and vitamin to potassium and vitamin C. An excellent source of dietary fiber, it also contains twice the calcium of spinach, beta-carotene of broccoli, and the potassium of a banana. Bitter gourd contains an insulin-like compound called Polypeptide-p or p-insulin which controls diabetes naturally. As it is rich in potassium, it absorbs excessive sodium in the body and helps to lowers the blood pressure and keeps heart healthy. To know more about Bitter gourd health benefits , read here.
If you are looking for diabetic friendly recipes do check Ragi Ganji , Raggi Mudde , Mooli Paratha and also Methi Thepla recipes.
Step by Step Directions to make Karela Chips | Bittergourd Chips
Trim edges of bitter gourd and cut bitter gourd into thin slices.
In a bowl add sliced bitter gourd, add salt, turmeric powder, tamarind juice and mix well.
Set aside for minimum 30 minutes or more, preferably 60-90 minutes is better.
After 30 minutes,
squeeze out excess juice and remove the bitter gourd slices onto a plate.
Remove matured / hard seeds from the bitter gourd slices and retain tender seeds, if any.
For Batter
In a mixing bowl, add gram flour , rice flour , red chilli powder , cumin powder , dry mango powder , salt , jaggery , asafoetida and mix well.
Add water part by part gradually
and whisk well to get a flowing consistency batter (not thick, nor thin) as shown in the video.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil and mix well.
Now slide in bitter gourd slices and mix well such that batter coats bitter gourd slices.
Arrange the batter coated bitter gourd on greased parchment paper
and bake for 25 -30 minutes in preheated oven at 200 deg Celsius. Alternatively, you can also deep fry in oil till its crisp.
Whilst, take 2-3 sprigs of curry leaves in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon of oil and ¼- ½ teaspoon of oil, mix well and set aside.
Halfway, when the bitter gourds are baked for about 18- 20 minutes, remove from the oven. Flip to the other side,
Spread curry leaves on top and bake for another 4- 5 minutes till curry leaves and bitter gourds are crisp.
Baked till crisp
Remove from oven and serve along with coffee / tea .
Recipe Card
Karela Chips Recipe | Bitter gourd Chips
Ingredients
- 2 large Bitter gourds / Karela
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- ½ tablespoon Tamarind pulp - soaked in ¼ cup water to extract juice
For Batter
- ¼ cup Gram flour / Besan
- 1.5 tablespoon Rice flour
- 1.5 teaspoon Red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon Jaggery powder
- ½ teaspoon Jeera / Cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon Dry mango Powder , optional
- ¾ teaspoon Salt or as required
- Water as required
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil or any cooking oil
- 1 pinch Hing/ Asafoetida
Seasoning
- 2-3 sprigs Curry Leaves
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Trim edges of bitter gourd and cut bitter gourd into thin slices.
- In a bowl add sliced bitter gourd, add salt, turmeric powder, tamarind juice and mix well. This is optional step.
- Set aside for minimum 30 minutes or more, preferably 60-90 minutes is better.
- After 60 minutes, squeeze out excess juice and remove the bitter gourd slices onto a plate.
- Remove matured / hard seeds from the bitter gourd slices and retain tender seeds, if any.
- Preheat oven to 200 deg celsius.
- In a mixing bowl, add gram flour , rice flour , red chilli powder , cumin powder , dry mango powder , salt , jaggery , asafoetida and mix well.
- Add water part by part gradually and whisk well to get a flowing consistency batter (not thick, nor thin) as shown in the video.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil and mix well.
- Now slide in bitter gourd slices and mix well such that batter coats bitter gourd slices.
- Arrange the batter coated bitter gourd on greased parchment paper and bake for 25 -30 minutes in preheated oven at 200 deg Celsius. Alternatively, you can also deep fry in oil till its crisp.
- Whilst, take 2-3 sprigs of curry leaves in a bowl, add 1tsp of oil and ¼- ½ teaspoon of oil, mix well and set aside.
- Halfway, when the bitter gourds are baked for about 18- 20 minutes, remove from the oven. Flip to the other side, spread curry leaves on top and bake for another 4- 5 minutes till curry leaves and bitter gourds are crisp.
- Remove from oven and serve along with coffee / tea .
Video
Notes
- Following the same recipe , you can deep fry bitter gourd to make chips. Fry on medium heat ,till it is crisp. It takes some more time to get crunchy.
- If Tamarind is not available , Use Lemon Juice to soak Bitter Gourd slices ,it helps to remove bitterness from Bitter gourd.
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