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    Home » Indian Dinner Recipes

    Bitter Melon Fritters Recipe | Karela Fry | Kakarakaya Fry

    Published: Dec 29, 2015 · Modified: Aug 30, 2024 by Kushi · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Bitter Melon Fritters Recipe (Karate Podi or Kakarakaya fry): These are crispy and crunchy, easy-to-make finger food prepared using rice flour, bitter gourd (karela), and chile powder. Serve this as a side for lunch with dalitoy and steamed rice for a traditional Konkani meal.

    Crispy Bitter Melon Fritters | Konkani Karate Podi | Kakarakaya Fry | Karela fry.
    Jump to:
    • Kakarakaya fry (Karela Fry)
    • Ingredients
    • Step-by-step instructions
    • Tips
    • How to make bitter melon less bitter?
    • More konkani recipes
    • Recipe card
    • User Reviews

    Kakarakaya fry (Karela Fry)

    Karela is a hindi word. It is also known as karate in Konkani, hagalakayi in Kannada, bitter gourd or melon in English, paagarkaai or pavakkai in Tamil, kakarakaya in Telugu.

    This style of fritters is popularly known as karate podi in Konkani cuisine, kakarakaya fry in Telugu, Karela Fry in Hindi, Pavakkai fry in Tamil Bitter melon fritters or Bitter gourd fry in English. It is prepared for lunch but also served with coffee and tea as an evening snack. We prepare it during festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, gowri pooja, etc.

    Easy Bitter Melon Recipe | Konkani Karate Podi | Pavakkai or Kakarakaya Fry | Karela fry.

    Ingredients

    Bitter melon: also called bitter gourd or karela. Available in all Asian stores. Other names are pavakkai, kakarakaya, hagalakayi.
    Rice flour: Makes it crispy.
    Chile powder: Adds spiciness.
    Hing: Adds unique flavor.

    Check out the recipe card for the full list of the ingredients to make this bitter melon fritters recipe.

    Step-by-step instructions

    Preparation

    • Wash the bitter melons and chop them into around 2 to 3 mm thick circles. If you want to avoid bitterness, cut it into very thin circles. 
    • Sprinkle salt over these chopped melons and keep it aside for 15 minutes.
    • Add rice flour, hing, red chile powder, and salt to a bowl and mix well. Now add water little by little to make a thick, smooth paste. Taste check and adjust all spices. 
    • Squeeze and add the bitter melon circles to this paste and mix well so the slices are well coated with the paste prepared. If the paste becomes dry, sprinkle water; if it becomes thin, adjust with more rice flour. 
    How to make crispy karela (Kakarakaya or bitter melon) fries.

    Crispy karela fries (karate podi)

    • Heat oil in a pan or kadai for frying. 
    • Add a little rice flour to the plate and coat each slice of the melon with the rice flour. (this makes the outer layer super crispy)
    • Once the oil is hot, add the melon slices, cook on medium flame, and flip occasionally until crisp and brown on both sides. The fritters should start floating.
    • Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil, and repeat the process for the remaining melon slices.
    • Serve hot and enjoy.
    Easy bitter melon recipe (karela fries or karate podi).

    Tips

    • To avoid the bitter taste and make it taste like chips, you can chop them into very thin circles.
    • If the paste is dry, adjust the water, and if the paste prepared is thin, then add more rice flour.
    • Do not overcrowd the pan. They will stick to each other and will not cook uniformly.
    • If you like the bitter taste, remove it before it turns crispy.
    • If the oil is too hot, it will soon become dark, and if it's too cold, it will absorb excess oil.
    • To check if the oil is hot, add a piece of melon and check if it sizzles and rises (the frying temperature is approximately 350 degrees F). 
    • Similarly, you can fry kantola (pagila), yam (suran), drumsticks (mashingasanga), banana(kele), sweet potato (kanang), pointed gourd (goint), etc. Check our post on popular konkani podi fritters, seasonal pagila podi, kadgi podi, jeev kadgi podi. 
    • For Mangalorean rava fry, instead of coating it with rice flour before dropping it in oil. Coat with semolina or sooji (check out pagila podi video). 
    Bitter Melon Fritters | Karela Fry | Konkani karate Podi | pavakkai or kakarakaya fry.

    How to make bitter melon less bitter?

    Cut them into rings or round slices. Discard seeds if needed (optional). Sprinkle salt and set it aside for 15 to 30 minutes.

    More konkani recipes

    • Mixed Vegan Vegetable Fries | Konkani Podi | Fritters | Finger food and side dish.
      Vegan Vegetable Fries | Konkani Podi Recipe
    • rispy pagila podi, kantola fries, mangalorean rava fry #spinegourd #teaselgourd #kakora #kankoda
      CRISPY PAGILA PODI | KANTOLA FRIES | RAVA FRY
    • Jeev kadgi podi | Breadfruit rava Fry | Fritters | Fried breadfruit, breadfruit recipes, ackee, dinner sides, evening snacks, shallow fry, how to eat breadfruit, breadfruit vs jackfruit, konkani food recipes, coastal karnataka, ugadi recipes, ganesh chaturthi recipes, bajo, pakora, pakoda, fish rava fry, vegetarian meal, mangalore and udupi recipes, stir fry
      JEEV KADGI PODI | BREADFRUIT RAVA FRY OR FRITTERS
    • Mangalorean kadgi rava fry , raw jackfruit fritters, kathal ke pakora, pakoda, konkani food recipes
      MANGALOREAN KADGI RAVA FRY | RAW JACKFRUIT FRITTERS | KATHAL PAKORA

    Recipe card

    Crispy Bitter Melon Fritters | Konkani Karate Podi | Kakarakaya Fry | Karela fry.

    Bitter Melon Fritters | Karela Fry | Kakarakaya Fry

    Kushi
    Bitter Melon Fritters Recipe (Karate Podi or Kakarakaya fry): These are crispy and crunchy, easy-to-make finger food prepared using rice flour, bitter gourd (karela), and chile powder. Serve this as a side for lunch with dalitoy and steamed rice for a traditional Konkani meal.
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 4
    Calories 83 kcal

    Equipment

    • Pan

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 Bitter Melon Karela or Karate or Kakarakaya or Pavakkai
    • ½ cup Rice flour little more for coating
    • 1 to 2 teaspoon Red chile powder
    • ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida Hing powder
    • Salt to taste
    • Oil for frying
    • Water, as needed approx ½ cup

    Instructions
     

    Preparation

    • Wash the bitter melons and chop them into around 2 to 3 mm thick circles. If you want to avoid bitterness, cut it into very thin circles.
      2 Bitter Melon
    • Sprinkle salt over these chopped melons and keep it aside for 15 minutes.
      Salt
    • Add rice flour, hing, red chile powder, and salt to a bowl and mix well. Now add water little by little to make a thick, smooth paste. Taste check and adjust all spices.
      ½ cup Rice flour, 1 to 2 teaspoon Red chile powder, ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida, Water, as needed
    • Add the bitter melon circles to this paste and mix well so the slices are well coated with the paste prepared. If the paste becomes dry, sprinkle water; if it becomes thin, adjust with more rice flour.

    Crispy karela fries (karate podi)

    • Heat oil in a pan or kadai for frying.
      Oil
    • Add a little rice flour to the plate and coat each slice of the melon with the rice flour. (this makes the outer layer super crispy)
    • Once the oil is hot, add the melon slices, cook on medium flame, and flip it occasionally till it becomes crisp and brown on both sides. That is, the fritters should come up and start floating.
    • Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil, and repeat the process for the remaining melon slices.
    • Serve hot and enjoy.

    Video

    Notes

    • If you want to avoid the bitter taste and make it taste like chips, then you can chop them into very thin circles.
    • If the paste is dry, adjust water, and if the paste prepared is thin, then add more rice flour.
    • Do not overcrowd the pan. They will stick to each other and will not cook uniformly.
    • If you like the bitter taste, then remove it before it turns crispy.
    • If the oil is too hot, it will become dark soon, and if it's too cold, it will absorb excess oil.
    • To check if the oil is hot, add a piece of melon and check if it sizzles and comes up. (frying temperature is approx 350 degree F). 
    • For Mangalorean rava fry, instead of coating it with rice flour before dropping it in oil. Coat with semolina or sooji (check out pagila podi video). 
    • In a similar way, you can fry kantola (pagila), yam (suran), drumsticks (mashingasanga), banana(kele), sweet potato (kanang), pointed gourd (goint), etc. Check our post on popular konkani podi fritters, seasonal pagila podi, kadgi podi, jeev kadgi podi. 
    •  

    Nutrition

    Calories: 83kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 2gFat: 0.5gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 11mgPotassium: 163mgFiber: 2gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 368IUVitamin C: 39mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 0.4mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Did you like this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

    Note: We originally posted this vegan crispy bitter melon fritters recipe in Dec 2015. It has now been modified in Sept 2024 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Manali

      December 30, 2015 at 6:19 pm

      5 stars
      I love karela, so can't wait to try these! Happy New Year Kushi!:)

      Reply
      • Kushi

        December 31, 2015 at 1:11 am

        Thank you Manali and same to you 🙂

        Reply
    2. Nish Kitchen

      December 30, 2015 at 6:24 pm

      5 stars
      This version of bitter melon fritters is very new to me. Definitely trying!

      Reply
      • Kushi

        December 31, 2015 at 1:12 am

        Thank you Nish 🙂 I am sure you will love this!

        Reply
    3. Traditionallymodernfood

      December 31, 2015 at 7:05 pm

      Healthy and yummy snacks ..love it

      Reply
      • Kushi

        December 31, 2015 at 7:10 pm

        Thank you Vidya 🙂

        Reply
    4. Revathi

      January 05, 2016 at 10:23 am

      5 stars
      I too make bitter melon fries at home. But these look more perfect and delicious 😀

      Reply
      • Kushi

        January 05, 2016 at 2:49 pm

        Thank you Revathi 🙂

        Reply
    « Older Comments
    5 from 9 votes (1 rating without comment)

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