Stuffed bitter gourd or bharwa karela is a vegan and gluten-free Indian dish. It is made with a filling of spices and besan stuffed into the karela. Check out this air fryer stuffed karela recipe.
Peel the bitter gourd with a knife and put them in a bowl.
Cut the ends and discard them.
Make a vertical slit but do not cut it in half.
Scoop out the seeds and put them in the bowl along with the peels.
Add some salt to the peels and seeds and mix well.
Apply salt inside and outside of the slit karela.
Let them rest for 10 minutes.
Rinse the peels and seeds well with water to remove the salt.
Rinse the karela with water from the inside and outsides to get rid of the salt.
Pat dry the karela with a kitchen towel.
Preparing the spice mix
Heat a skillet on medium flame.
Add oil, once oil is hot, add the karela peels and seeds.
Saute for a few seconds and then add all the spices, salt, sugar, and besan.
Saute for a few minutes until the besan is well cooked and does not taste raw. The mixture will have a nice aroma.
Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down.
Stuff the mixture inside the slit karela with a spoon.
Continue for all the karela.
Air fry stuffed karela
Preheat air fryer to 390°F
Apply oil on the karela on all the sides with a basting brush or oil sprayer.
Place the stuffed karela in the preheated air fryer.
Cook for about 10-11 minutes at 390°F.
After 5-6 minutes spray some oil on the karela and the filling using an oil sprayer.
Continue air frying for the remaining time.
Check for doneness by cutting the karela with a spoon or fork.
Transfer the stuffed karela to a serving dish.
Notes
You can tie a thread around the karela so that it does not open up while cooking.Spicy - add more chili powder to make it more spicy.Sugar - sugar is added to balance the bitter taste but you can skip it.