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    Home » Curry » Gravy Curries » Kakarakaya Masala Curry

    Kakarakaya Masala Curry Recipe

    Published: Jun 14, 2023 by Pavani · 10 Comments

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    Looking for a easy bitter gourd curry recipe? Then try this scrumptious kakarakaya masala curry recipe. A simple tomato-peanut gravy adds tons of flavor and creamy texture to the dish.

    This karela masala is easy to make and tastes amazing. And it is also perfect to serve with both rice or roti.

    Bowl with kakarakaya masala curry.

    Table of contents

    • About the recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
      • Prep Bitter Gourd
      • Make Peanut Gravy
      • Make Kakarakaya Masala
    • Expert Tips
    • You might also like
    • Recipe Card

    About the recipe

    People have love/hate relationship with kakarakaya aka karela or bitter gourd. But I really enjoy cooking and eating this bitter vegetable. One of my favorite ways to enjoy it is in this simple kakarakaya podi kura.

    I try to remove some of the bitterness by microwaving or steaming karela with either tamarind or yogurt. The sourness helps to remove some of bitterness. But to be honest, I enjoy karela because of its characteristic taste.

    Grey bowl with karela masala.

    The other trick to make bitter gourd recipes really work is to balance all the flavors. Adding complementary flavors like sourness makes the vegetable taste amazing.

    In this kakarakaya masala curry, I use a simple onion-tomato-peanut gravy to cook the karela in. It is slightly spicy, tangy and creamy. This peanut gravy works beautifully with bitter gourd. The addition of tamarind and spices also makes the curry even more delicious.

    Give this easy recipe a try and I am sure you will love it. Serve with roti or rice and enjoy!!

    Top view of a bowl with kakarakaya masala curry.

    Ingredients

    For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below.

    Here are the ingredients you need to make this masala karela recipe:

    • Bitter gourd ~ look for fresh gourd with bright skin. Avoid ones that are soft to touch and have dark spots.
    • Tamarind paste
    • Spices ~ red chili powder, ground coriander and salt.
    • Mustard & Cumin seeds.
    • Curry leaves & dry red chilies.
    • Jaggery or brown sugar ~ this is an optional ingredient, but highly recommend adding it to balance out all of the flavors.
    • For the peanut gravy:
      • Peanuts ~ I love using blanched peanuts because they are convenient. But feel free to use peanuts with skin.
      • Onion ~ I love using red onion but any variety will work.
      • Tomato
      • Ginger-garlic paste
    Ingredients needed, details in recipe card.

    Instructions

    For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below.

    Here is how to make this delicious bitter gourd masala recipe:

    Prep Bitter Gourd

    After thoroughly washing the bitter gourd, lightly scrub to remove some of the spiky top layer. Chop into ½" pieces. Place the chopped bitter gourd in a microwave safe bowl along with yogurt or tamarind and salt. Mix well, cover and microwave until bitter gourd feels crisp tender.

    Remove from the microwave and let cool for 5 minutes. Drain into a sieve or colander and run cold water until cool enough to handle. Then squeeze the excess liquid out and place on a plate or bowl. Set aside until ready to use.

    Make Peanut Gravy

    Heat oil in a medium size sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions and stir fry until lightly browned around the edges. Stir in ginger~garlic paste and cook for 1 minute or until it does not smell raw anymore.

    Add the tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are soft and almost mushy. Stir in roasted peanuts and turn off the heat. Let cool and then blend into a smooth paste adding water as necessary.

    5 panel photo showing the making of the peanut gravy.

    Make Kakarakaya Masala

    Heat oil in the pan on medium heat; add mustard & cumin seeds and cook till the seeds start to splutter. Add dry red chilies and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute.

    Stir in the bitter gourd. Cover and cook. Add the peanut gravy, red chili powder, ground coriander, tamarind paste and salt. Mix to combine. Add water, if the gravy looks too thick. Cover and simmer until all the flavors mingle.

    4 panel photo showing the sautéing of bitter gourd and addition of gravy.

    Stir in the jaggery (if using). Cook for a minute. Turn off the heat. Serve hot with rice or roti.

    3 panel photo showing the addition of tamarind and spices to the curry.

    Expert Tips

    • I try to remove some of the bitterness by microwaving or steaming karela with either tamarind or yogurt. The sourness helps to remove some of bitterness. But if you enjoy the bitterness, then feel free to skip this step.
    • Instead of microwaving the bitter gourd, you can steam them as well.
    • I love using blanched peanuts because they are convenient. But feel free to use peanuts with skin.
    • I love using red onion but any variety will work.
    • Jaggery or brown sugar is an optional ingredient, but I highly recommend adding it to balance out all of the flavors.
    • Kakarakaya masala curry tastes better the next day because all of the flavors have a chance to real shine.
    • Store leftover karela masala in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

    You might also like

    Here are a few more vegetarian curry recipes that you might like:

    • Mixed Vegetable Sagu
      Mixed Vegetable Sagu | South Indian Curry Recipe
    • Steel bowl with cauliflower potato curry
      Aloo Gobi Curry Recipe | Instant Pot
    • White bowl with muvva vankaya kura
      Muvva Vankaya Kura Recipe
    • Nepali Vegetable Curry | Tarkari Recipe

    I love hearing from you!! If you’ve tried this and liked it, then don't forget to let me know. Give a star rating and let me know in the comments below. Also tag me in your creations on Instagram @cooks_hideout. I love sharing photos when people make my recipes. You can use the hashtag #cookshideout too.

    Recipe Card

    Gray bowl with kakarakaya masala curry.

    Kakarakaya Masala Curry

    Kakarakaya masala curry is a spicy and scrumptious recipe. The peanut gravy is easy to make. Great to serve with both rice or roti.
    Author: Pavani
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
    Total Time: 50 minutes mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: andhra
    Servings: 6 servings

    Ingredients

    • 4~6 Medium Bitter Gourd
    • 1 tablespoon Yogurt or Tamarind paste
    • 1 teaspoon Salt

    For the Peanut Gravy

    • 1 teaspoon Oil
    • 1 Small Onion, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon Ginger+garlic paste
    • 1 Medium Tomato, chopped
    • ¼ cup Roasted Peanuts, store-bought or homemade*
    • ¼ cup Water

    For Kakarakaya Masala

    • 2 tablespoons Oil
    • ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
    • ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
    • 2 Dry red chilies
    • 6 Curry Leaves
    • 1 teaspoon Red chili powder (adjust as per taste preference)
    • 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
    • 1 tablespoon Tamarind paste
    • To taste Salt
    • ½ cup Water (optional)
    • 1 teaspoon Jaggery or brown sugar*, optional
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions

    Prep Bitter gourd

    • After thoroughly washing the bitter gourd, lightly scrub to remove some of the spiky top layer. Chop into ½" pieces.
      4~6 Medium Bitter Gourd
    • (OPTIONAL*) Place the chopped bitter gourd in a microwave safe bowl along with yogurt or tamarind and salt. Mix well, cover and microwave for 5~7 minutes (depending on the wattage of the microwave) until bitter gourd feels crisp tender. Alternately you can also steam this prepped bitter gourd.
      Remove from the microwave and let cool for 5 minutes. Drain into a sieve or colander and run cold water until cool enough to handle. Then squeeze the excess liquid out and place on a plate or bowl. Set aside until ready to use.
      1 tablespoon Yogurt or Tamarind paste, 1 teaspoon Salt

    Make Peanut Gravy

    • Heat oil in a medium size sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions and stir fry until lightly browned around the edges, about 4~5 minutes. Stir in ginger~garlic paste and cook for 1 minute or until it does not smell raw anymore.
      1 teaspoon Oil, 1 Small Onion, chopped, 1 teaspoon Ginger+garlic paste
    • Add the tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are soft and almost mushy, about 3~4 minutes. Stir in roasted peanuts and turn off the heat.
      Let cool and then blend into a smooth paste adding water as necessary.
      1 Medium Tomato, chopped, ¼ cup Roasted Peanuts, store-bought or homemade*, ¼ cup Water

    Make Kakarakaya Curry

    • Give the pan you used to make the peanut gravy a quick rinse and dry it.
      Heat oil in the pan on medium heat; add mustard & cumin seeds and cook till the seeds start to splutter, about 30 seconds. Add dry red chilies and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute.
      2 tablespoons Oil, ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds, 2 Dry red chilies, 6 Curry Leaves
    • Stir in the bitter gourd. Cover and cook for about 5~6 minutes. Add the peanut gravy, red chili powder, ground coriander, tamarind paste and salt. Mix to combine. Add water, if the gravy looks too thick. Cover and simmer for 10~12 minutes or until all the flavors mingle.
      1 teaspoon Red chili powder (adjust as per taste preference), 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander, 1 tablespoon Tamarind paste, To taste Salt, ½ cup Water (optional)
    • Stir in the jaggery (if using). Cook for a minute. Turn off the heat. Serve hot with rice or roti.
      1 teaspoon Jaggery or brown sugar*, optional

    Notes

    • I try to remove some of the bitterness by microwaving or steaming karela with either tamarind or yogurt. The sourness helps to remove some of bitterness. But if you enjoy the bitterness, then feel free to skip this step.
    • Instead of microwaving the bitter gourd, you can steam them as well.
    • I love using blanched peanuts because they are convenient. But feel free to use peanuts with skin.
    • I love using red onion but any variety will work.
    • Jaggery or brown sugar is an optional ingredient, but I highly recommend adding it to balance out all of the flavors.
    • Kakarakaya masala curry tastes better the next day because all of the flavors have a chance to real shine.
    • Store leftover karela masala in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 0.4mg | Sodium: 428mg | Potassium: 329mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 650IU | Vitamin C: 76mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cooks_hideout or tag #cookshideout!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. A 2 Z Vegetarian Cuisine

      July 29, 2009 at 2:11 am

      This dish looks so delicious and your photograph is awesome, i didn't know a Karela dish look this beautiful until i saw this photograph. Regarding your question on Green Mung Flour and Kala Channa Besan, i noticed from your profile that you also live in NJ. I got both of these in Apna Bazaar, Oak Tree Road. I couldn't get hold of Ragi Grain so went for all flours. Now i have asked my Mom to send few pounds of Ragi grain next time i am going to Soak all three of them and grind and make it.

      Reply
    2. Pari Vasisht

      July 29, 2009 at 2:43 am

      This dish looks simply delicious. And I always admire your photography skills. I am also about to post a bittergourd dish check out mine when I post.

      Reply
    3. Shanthi

      July 29, 2009 at 5:58 am

      hi, Please accept an award from my blog.

      Reply
    4. Parita

      July 29, 2009 at 6:14 am

      Loved the gravy, looks so thick and creamy!

      Reply
    5. Divya Kudua

      July 29, 2009 at 6:52 am

      I dont actually love Bittergourd and my cooking with that veggie is quite limited.But your recipe is very different from the usual karela dishes..;)Looks very good:)

      Reply
    6. Trupti

      July 29, 2009 at 12:54 pm

      Curry looks delicious Pavani. Love the photos. I have Karela in freeze will try this recipe soon.TruptiFashion Deals For Less Recipe Center

      Reply
    7. faisal

      July 29, 2009 at 1:31 pm

      HiA great post.Diet meal PlanWalk In medical ClinicDiet menuPain Management

      Reply
    8. veggie belly

      July 29, 2009 at 11:09 pm

      yummmmmm...love the peanut gravy! for some reason i land up making cashew based graviews more. i'll try this next time!

      Reply
    9. Jisha

      July 30, 2009 at 5:27 am

      Congrats Pavani.. I would like to pass on the Kreativ Blogger Award to you.. Please visit http://recipes.malayali.me/?p=1893

      Reply
    10. Deepan

      August 10, 2009 at 10:07 am

      Nice recipe. After knowing the health benefits of Bitter gourd i have starting loving it. Bitter gourd is rich in vitamin A, B1, B2 and c and contains minerals like calcium, phosphorous, iron, copper and potassium. Bitter-Gourd

      Reply

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