Kakarakaya pulusu | bitter gourd gravy is an Andhra style bitter gourd dish. Traditionally, for this recipe, bitter gourd is fried in oil and added to the gravy. In today’s recipe, I’m sharing an air fried version with minimal oil. Kakarakaya pulusu or bitter gourd gravy goes well with rice or jowar roti.
How to prepare kakarakaya or bitter gourd:
1 Wash bitter gourd and cut in circles. If seeds at the center are mature, discard them.
Oil fried:
2 Heat oil for deep frying and slowly add bitter gourd circles. After a few seconds, bitter gourd slices change to light golden color.
3 Keep them aside until gravy is prepared.
Air fried version:
2 Apply tsp oil to bitter gourd circles and place them in an air fryer basket.
3 Place the crisp lid trivet in the inner pot of pressure cooker.
4 Set the mealthy crisp lid or any air fryer on 375 f for 15 minutes. Check on them after 10 minutes and toss them around. Timings vary with the thickness of bitter gourd slices.
How to prepare tamarind paste:
1 Take tamarind and water in a bowl. Microwave it for 30 seconds.
2 Extract the juice from tamarind and filter the pulp.
How to prepare kakarakaya pulusu:
1 Add oil in a pan, when oil is hot enough add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing or asafoetida, slit green chilis, curry leaves and stir for a second.
2 Immediately add onion and saute it until it turns a light golden color. Then add ginger garlic paste and cook for a few seconds.
3 After that add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt. Mix it together and add deep fried or air-fried bitter gourd circles. Cook for a few seconds.
4 Add tamarind paste, water, roasted sesame seeds powder, and jaggery. Give it a stir and let it simmer on low-medium flame for 10 – 15 minutes.
5 This gravy goes well with rice and roti. Pulusu always tastes better the next day.
Kakarakaya pulusu | Bitter gourd gravy
Equipment
- Mealthy CrispLid for Pressure Cooker (NEW): Turn any Pressure Cooker into an Air Fryer & Dehydrator: Air fry, Crisp, Broil & Dehydrate (NEW); fits 6&8Qt, Deep Basket (NEW), Trivet, Silicone Mat, Tongs
Ingredients
- Bitter gourd or kakarakaya - 4 small or 75 grams
- Tamarind - 20 grams or 1.5 tbsp paste soaked in 4 tbsp water
- Oil - 4 tbsp
- Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
- Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
- Hing or asafoetida - 1/8 tsp
- Green chili - 3
- Curry leaves - 4
- Onion - 1/2 cup 37 grams
- Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
- Red chili powder- 1 tsp
- Coriander powder - 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
- Salt - as per taste I added 1 tsp
- Roasted sesame seed powder - 1/2 tsp
- Jaggery - 1.5 tbsp or 23 grams
- Water - 1 cup
Instructions
- HOW TO PREPARE KAKARAKAYA OR BITTER GOURD:1 Wash bitter gourd and cut in circles. If seeds at the center are mature, discard them.
Oil fried:
2 Heat oil for deep frying and slowly add bitter gourd circles. After a few seconds, bitter gourd slices change to light golden color.
3 Keep them aside until gravy is prepared. - Air fried version:
2 Apply tsp oil to bitter gourd circles and place them in an air fryer basket.
3 Place the crisp lid trivet in the inner pot of pressure cooker.
4 Set the mealthy crisp lid or any air fryer on 375 f for 15 minutes. Check on them after 10 minutes and toss them around. Timings vary with the thickness of bitter gourd slices. - How to prepare tamarind paste:1 Take tamarind and water in a bowl. Microwave it for 30 seconds.
2 Extract the juice from tamarind and filter the pulp. - How to prepare kakarakaya pulusu:1 Add oil in a pan, when oil is hot enough add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing or asafoetida, slit green chilis, curry leaves and stir for a second.
2 Immediately add onion and saute it until it turns a light golden color. Then add ginger garlic paste and cook for a few seconds. - 3 After that add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt. Mix it together and add oil fried or air-fried bitter gourd circles. Cook for a few seconds.
4 Add tamarind paste, water, sesame powder, and jaggery. Give it a stir and let it simmer on low-medium flame for 10 – 15 minutes.
5 This gravy goes well with rice and roti. Pulusu always tastes better the next day.
