Hello Folks! I am back with yet another garden-to-table, zero-waste, long-shelf-life, easy-to-make recipe.
All the above pronouns will tell you something about myself. I am a Master Gardener and I love growing herbs and veggies. I have been growing several edible produce in my small suburban garden, for the past several years. My home base is in USDA Zone 8a/8b, where the summers are scathing, and the winters are chilly.
When you become a gardener, you realize that wasting food is hard. The amount of tender loving care that goes into raising a plant forces one to rethink about food wastage. There comes the zero-waste mindset. My garden produce is either consumed or distributed to friends. The excess produce is either frozen (raw or cooked) or dehydrated. The peels, seeds are composted. Excess store-bought produce? Ha, check out these delicious Dehydrated Apples!
All About Growing Bitter Gourd/Karela
-
- Albino Bitter Gourd
-
- Bitter Gourd Bloom
-
- Just Picked!
-
- Chinese Bitter Gourd
The blazing heat of Dallas is a bonanza for vegetables like yard long beans, okra, amaranth (green and red), corn, squash, and the protagonist of today’s post: bitter melon. This robust vine of karela has very few enemies. Pests don’t seem to bother them, thanks to the bitter tasting leaves and fruit. Give them a strong support, and they will happily clamber, climb and produce a huge bounty. Full sun and a great compost/soil blend will help them produce with vigor.
The seeds from ripe bitter gourds fall to the ground and lay dormant through the winter. The following summer, they miraculously come out of their hibernation, and start sprouting. It is amazing to watch this cycle of life.
Dehydrated Masala Karela Chips
What do you do when you have distributed enough karela and you have more coming up? That’s when you find ways to use the vegetable that won’t spoil quickly. You also want to do it quickly. Who has the time to slog over 25 lbs. of produce? Not me.
Dehydration is a wonderful and easy way to preserve bitter gourd. The best part? You can even use the slightly over-ripe gourds as well. Just chop them, layer in the dehydrator, add the masala and stick them back in for the final round. It is that easy.
They will last for several months in the refrigerator. When you need to make a bitter gourd recipe, you can add this to your dish, and they will easily re-hydrate with water. You can use the dehydrated karela to make this Sautéed Bitter Gourd. Soak the dehydrated karela in water for 10-15 minutes and use it in making curries. Remember there is already salt and spices in the dehydrated gourd, so be mindful.
You can also munch on these puppies as a snack. They also go great with Rasam, as a side. Just stick them in the air fryer or roast them on low heat until they are warm and crispy. No oil is required.
Yard-to-Table/Zero Waste Recipes
I welcome you to try some of my homegrown, home cooked delights:
- Superfood Moringa Leaf Chutney
- Smoky Eggplant Chutney
- Crispy Air-Fried Masala Okra
- Zero-Waste Butternut Squash Sippe (Peel) Chutney
- Instant Pot Moringa Leaf Dal
- Yard-to_Table Beet Leaf Thoran
- Fresh Vegetarian Italian Basil Pesto
- Bhindi Okra Masala
- Balsamic Caprese
- Beet (Root & Green) Palya
- Rainbow Chard Red Lentil Stew
- Pickled Chili Peppers
- Malabar Spinach Chutney
- Chilled Cucumber Dill Soup
Bitter gourd comes with some amazing health benefits. Bitter melon has been the focus of well over 100 clinical and observational studies. It’s best known for its hypoglycemic effects (the ability to lower blood sugar), and research shows that the melon’s juice, fruit and dried powder can all be used to mimic insulin’s effects and treat diabetes.
Do you love our posts and recipes? We’d LOVE to see your creations so click a photo and tag us on Instagram with the hashtag #healthyindian3 and please give a star (★) rating below. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube & Tumblr for healthy, easy and delicious recipes and lifestyle tips.
*There could be affiliate links in this blog. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Dehydrated Masala Karela Chips
Ingredients
- 8 Cups Bitter Gourd - Round slices of 1/2 inch thickness
- 1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt - Or to taste
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala - Click here for the recipe
- 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Avocado Oil
- 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper - Freshly ground
- 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder - Or to taste
Instructions
- Wash and dry bitter gourd.
- Cut into 1/4-inch discs. You can use even semi-ripe karela, so long as it is not mushy. Use the seeds as well.
- Arrange the karela on the racks of the dehydrator. Try to make sure they are evenly distributed and not piled high on top of each other. Stack the trays and dehydrate for 2 hours.
- Open the dehydrator and transfer the vegetables into a mixing bowl. Spray or add 1/2 tablespoon avocado oil and toss the bitter gourd, so they are all evenly coated. Place the bitter gourd on the dehydrator trays and dehydrate for 1 hour.
- Empty the veggies back into the mixing bowl, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon avocado oil. Add garam masala, chili powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder and mix so all the spices and oils are evenly distributed over the veggies.
- Put the veggies back in the dehydrator and dehydrate for 30 mins. Check and if you need them to be crispier, dehydrate for an additional 30 minutes.
- Store in an airtight bottle in the refrigerator. When you want to use it, you can toss it into a pre-heated air fryer for about 3 minutes at 250-degree Fahrenheit, or gently pan roast it over low to medium heat until warm.
Hello, can these be made in the oven at low temps or does it absolutely need a dehydrator??
Hi Nithya, this needs a dehydrator. Oven temperatures are very hard to control and it is easy for these chips to burn. I’ll make for you during the next bitter gourd season and share. 🙂
Hi
Can I just dehydrate slices of the bitter melon without oils or other spices. I would like to use the dried slices for tea.
You absolutely can! The dehydrator will do the job efficiently for you. Let me know how it turns out.
Hello. Do the bitter guards need to be cooked for eating these like chips? Thanks very much.
Hi Anand, I have used a dehydrator to make these chips. Using your oven at the lowest heat is also an option. They turn out crunchy like chips. No need to cook the karela before dehydrating. Hope this answers your question. The recipe has detailed steps with pictures.
Do they need to be refrigerated? I was looking for a recipe like this to make for my husband while he’s driving his cargo van.
No refrigeration required Sarah. Put it in an air tight container, so it stays crispy.