Instant Pot Bharwa Karela | Stuffed Karela recipe – A Unique Vegan Indian dish with such lovely flavor that will make even Bitter Karela taste scrumptious.
I am a big fan of Karela recipe. I know many of you will think – “seriously…. Karela Dish?!
Yes, Karela!! I love Karela Sabzi in any style like Kaju karela, Karela Ka Bharwa, Karela curry, Crispy Karela.
Today, I am sharing Bharwa Karela in curry style. This stuffed bitter gourd recipe is not dry. It has some gravy.
This is the simplest, easy and best recipe for making Karela recipe.
Karela has an acquired taste but when It’s stuffed and cooked with the besan / Chickpea flour, some basic spices, garlic, and peanuts, the bitterness gets balanced.
This Bharwa Karela Recipe is an ultimate side dish. It can be served with Roti or Rice.
What are the health benefits of Bitter Gourd / Karela?
I know Karela / Bitter Gourd may not sound thrilling to many, but it is very healthy and nutritious. It is good for diabetes, coronary heart sickness, constipation. It also helps in boosting the immunity and weight loss.
It acts as a blood purifier and has antioxidant properties in it. It is a liver Tonic.
This Instant Pot Karela Recipe is stuffed with Besan, Peanuts and some Indian Spices. You can stuff karela with anything like Paneer, onion masala etc. Some add dried mango powder for sourness. But I have added Lemon juice. Sourness balances out the bitterness from karela.
We also prefer little bit sweetness in our Bharwa Karela. So I add Jaggery. You will also need lots and lots of cilantro/coriander for this Karela recipe.
To get rid of the bitterness of Karela / Bitter Gourd, salt is rubbed over karela. But I skip this step when I make Bharwa Karela. Instead, I prefer to peel it lightly with a peeler and simply peel off a thin layer.
Don’t Forget to check out my Karela Fry Recipe Here.
Do give this Instant Pot Bharwa Karela a try. I am sure you will adore it without a doubt.
Other Instant Pot side dish / Indian Instant pot sabzi recipes –
Bharwa Karela / Stuffed Karela / Suffed Bitter Gourd recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon - Besan / Chickpea Flour
- 4 tablespoon - Crushed peanuts
- 1 teaspoon - crushed garlic
- 1 ½ tablespoon - Jaggery
- Salt to taste
- ½ tablespoon - Chili powder According to your taste
- 1 teaspoon - Cumin Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon - Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon - Garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon - Turmeric powder
- ¾ cup - Cilantro / Coriander
- 1 teaspoon - Lemon juice
- 275 grams - Karela / Bitter Gourd
- ¼ cup - chopped tomatoes
- 1 ½ tablespoon - Oil
- ¾ cup - water
Method
- Cut the ends of Karela and Peel thin layer of Karela skin. Make a slit along the middle and take out the seeds. Set aside.
- Take all the stuffing ingredients in a big plate or bowl. Mix them very well.
- Fill about 1 tablespoon of prepared stuffing masala (Add/less according to the size of the Karelas). Set aside.
- Turn on saute button. Now heat oil in an Instant Pot.
- Add stuffed Karela, chopped tomatoes and remaining stuffing masala(if any leftover).
- Add water, cover the instant pot with locking lid.
- Turn off the saute button.
- Cook it on high pressure for 6 minutes.
- Once 6 minutes is over and IP beeps, turn off the IP and let the pressure release naturally.
- Cut the ends of Karela and Peel thin layer of Karela skin. Make a slit along the middle and take out the seeds. Set aside.
- Take all the stuffing ingredients in a big plate or bowl. Mix them very well.
- Fill about 1 tablespoon of prepared stuffing masala (Add/less according to the size of the Karelas). Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add stuffed karela, water, and tomatoes.
- Cover it with lid and cook it on high flame for about 10 to 12 minutes or until tender on a medium flame.
- Stuffed karela in pan is ready.
Nutrition
Private Notes
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You are so right.. karela doesn’t sound tempting infact I cook it just once a year but your picture is so captivating that I am bookmarking the recipe..
Thanks, Sushma! I hope you give this a try soon 🙂