Punjabi Bharwaan Karela with Raw Mango

Name: Punjabi Bharwaan Karela with Raw Mango
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: Karela / Bitter Gourd - 5 to 6; Onion - 1/2 small (shredded thin or processed in food processor); Raw Mango - 1/4 cup (shredded thin or processed in food processor); Mustard Oil - 1 tsp + 2 tsp. You may use vegetable oil also; Kalonji / NIgella seeds - 1/2 tsp; Coriander powder - 1 tbsp; Fennel powder - 1 tbsp; Cumin powder - 1 tsp; Ginger powder - 1/4 tsp; Turmeric / Haldi - 1/2 tsp; Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp (as per the heat required.); Amchur / Dry Mango powder - 1/2 tsp; Salt -1/2 + 3/4 tsp or to taste; Sugar - 1 tsp

Published on April 15, 2016 by simplyvegetarian777

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Punjabi Bharwaan Karela with Raw Mango is a popular dish from Northern India. Often stuffed with pickling spices, shredded karela skin & onions, cooked in mustard oil, it is quite a popular dish. Karela is Bitter Gourd, Bharwaan is Stuffed, Punjabi means belonging to the region of Punjab in India. The stuffing that I have used in this dish is a very proportionate filling and often comes handy in lot of stuffed or bharwaan vegetables like karela/bitter gourd, baingan/eggplant/brinjal, bhindi/okra/lady finger. So, bookmark this post for sure for future reference.

Bharwaan Sabzi or Stuffed Vegetable is often considered a delicacy and is not prepared often, given the time and effort, especially given the large families in earlier days. But believe me, it was quicker to make, especially when I had to work on just 5-6 bitter gourds.

Punjabi Bharwaan Karela with Raw Mango

I have some fond memories attached with bharwaan karela, unfolding the long thread, wrapped around each karela, lost like a kitten absorbed in the hard play of knitting yarn. Sounds funny..eh.. But to tell you the truth, when I was wrapping delicate thread around the stuffed karela, a dejavu happened and took me back to my mum’s kitchen, where I would watch her doing the thread game with her vegetables, with lot of effort and attention. And she had to do a lot of them at each time..I mean a lot, given the huge joint family and un-invited guests over the meals, most of the times. The dusky kitchen, summer heat, aroma of sizzling spices, my mum in cotton saree, racing against time to get the meals done on time….the whole nostalgia just unfolded itself in front of me, over that delicate thread, which I was wrapping around my Karelas.

But as they say, nostalgia is lived only in memories and that is what is cherished for ever. This recipe again comes from my Mum’s Kitchen. God definitely made mothers to bring the comfort in our memories and tastes.

Punjabi Bharwaan Karela with Raw Mango

Karela or Bitter Gourd is very low in calories, almost 17 calories per 100 gms. It is rich in phyto nutrients and have proven to help stabilizing sugar in type-2 diabetes. It is rich in folate and advised in the diet of pregnant mothers. It is a good source of Vitamin C, B-carotene, Vitamin A. Since it is rich in fibers, it is a good laxative too. it is a moderate source of B-complex vitamins such as vitamin B-3, vitamin B-5, vitamin B-6 and minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium, manganese and magnesium.

Punjabi Bharwaan Karela with Raw Mango is a very simple recipe. We start with washing the karela & patting it dry. Scrape the skin of the karela, then making a single one side slit on karela. Cleaning the insides of the karela and tossing them away. Apply some salt on karela and leave them so that their skins soften. Meanwhile, we prepare the filling with onions, spices, scraped karela skin and raw mango, which is optional. I have used it since it enhances the flavors and it is the mango season. Once the filling is made, stuff the filling inside the karela. Wrap the thread around karelas to keep the stuffing and shape intact. Finally, shallow frying in oil.

This is a great recipe for lunch or dinner. Pan grill on Tawa or hot griddle by pressing it hard and cooking from all the sides, I promise it will not disappoint you.

Some Punjabi and Bharwaan or Stuffed Recipes from the blog are – Punjabi Bharwaan Baingan, Bharwaan Bhindi, Punjabi Kadhi, Punjabi Aloo Matar Samosa and many more.

Let us get to the detailed recipe now.

Punjabi Bharwaan Karela with Raw Mango

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