Kaju karela nu shak is a popular Gujarati side dish made with bitter gourd and cashews. This quick and simple recipe uses basic everyday spices. To reduce the bitterness of the karela, I share some helpful tips. The sabzi has a balanced flavor—slightly sweet, sour, and moderately spicy—typical of Gujarati cuisine. It’s healthy and tastes great with roti and amras.
The key to making tasty kaju karela nu shak at home are
- Firstly, choose fresh, medium-thick, green-colored karela for the sabzi. Also, remove its thick skin and cut it into medium-thick round slices; do not cut it into thin slices.
- To decrease the bitterness of the karela, coat the karela chips with salt and lemon juice. The citric acid in the lemon helps reduce the bitterness of the karela, and you can use vinegar instead if you prefer.
- I prepared a spice mix with regular spices and also added jaggery to the sabzi to balance all the flavors. You can adjust the amount of spices according to your taste.
- Lastly, kaju karela nu shak tastes great the next day, as it absorbs the masala well.
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Recipe video
Kaju karela recipe | kaju karela nu shak | kaju karela sabji
Ingredients
Marinate karela chips
- 500 grm karela
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- For kaju karela nu shak
Marinated karela chips
- ¾ cup or 70 grm cashews
- 2 tbsp besan
- 4 tbsp oil + some oil for frying
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- Pinch of hing
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp fennel seeds powder
- ½ tsp black salt
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp dry mango powder
- 4 green chilli
- ½ cup jaggery
- Some coriander leaves
Instructions
- Wash and cut the karela into medium-thick chips. Remove the seeds and set them aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add the karela chips, ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tbsp salt, and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Mix well and let it rest for 25 minutes.
- Squeeze the water from the marinated karela chips and place them on a plate.
- Add 2 tbsp besan and 2 tbsp oil to the chips and coat the karela chips with the besan.
- Heat oil and fry ¾ cup cashews until they are slightly brown. Remove the fried cashews and place them on a plate.
- Add the besan-coated karela chips to the oil and fry them on a medium-high flame until they are slightly crisp and 80% cooked. Remove the fried chips and place them on a plate.
- In a mixing bowl, add ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tbsp red chili powder, 1 tbsp coriander powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, ½ tsp garam masala, 1 tsp fennel seed powder, ½ tsp black salt, salt to taste, and 1 tsp dry mango powder. Mix well. The masala mix is ready; keep it aside.
- In a pan, add 4 tbsp oil, 1 tsp cumin seeds, a pinch of hing, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, and 1 tbsp fennel seeds. Sauté it.
- Add the fried karela chips and mix well. Cover the pan with a plate and add some water to the plate. Steam generated from the water will help the karela cook fully.
- Add the cashews and 4 green chilies to the sabzi and mix well.
- Add the masala mix and coat the karela and cashews with the masala.
- Add ½ cup jaggery and mix well. Cover and cook the sabzi for 2 minutes so the masala absorbs into the karela.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve the kaju karela sabzi with roti and amras.
Notes
- Cut karela into medium-thick slices; do not cut it into thin slices.
- Salt helps release the bitter water from the karela.
- Lemon juice reduces the bitterness of karela. You can use vinegar instead.
- Besan adds crispiness and reduces the bitterness of karela.
- Fry the karela on medium-high flame; do not fry it on low flame.
- Add some water to the plate so steam is generated, and the karela cooks thoroughly and becomes soft.
- Jaggery helps reduce the bitterness of karela and gives a balanced taste to the sabzi.
- Kaju karela taste great when it prepared slightly spicy.
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