Learnt to love karela: Am I the only one?

The first time I tried it I was horrified at the bitterness, but now I've become a secret fan and crave it. Bring it home, slice it thin and fry it crisp. Have any other non-Indians out there learnt to love this bitter gourd (karela)?

I didn't know the name, but I know "bitter gourd".

I can eat just a little, when my wife has a heap. We are now growing our own!

Nick,

I thought you liked only Kerala.....

Now you started liking Karela too...

Its called Pavakkaai in Tamil. Its the best medicine to clense your stomach. It got so much of medicinal strengths in it.

I am also not a desi and have developed a penchant for karela. I make it stuffed with its own peelings, stuffed with qeema, sliced and stir fried with potatoes in a dry masala, and also fried in thin slivers and added into daal. I like complex tastes and I love the bitter with the other flavors that it can be cooked with.

I believe in order to get the full health benefits of this bumpy gourd, one needs to have it raw or drink the fresh juice. Now that, I can't do. I have seen karela powder in the ayurdedic section at the grocery store, though. So perhaps there are less painful ways to injest the juice.

I love it!!

My American kids love karela too. Hubby still hasn't embraced it even if thin and crispy w/ lots of masala.
Here I buy it at the Indian store in the frozen section but I prefer to buy it fresh when available.

one glass of 'pavakka' juice every morning to keep diabetes in check. Its a real remedy, but Yukkkkkkkkkkk !!!!! Also washes away all your sins through suffering.

Toss in finely chopped onions next time you fry. that goes well with the bitterness. Should look like barbecued vegetables after frying (at least, well blackened outside)

Can't stand the stuff - even the sight of one makes me cringe One of only two things I ate during a six month India stay which made me gag instantly. The other was a sticky sweet milky mess which I'm told was shrikhand .

Something for Karela-lovers and Karela-haters alike. In short, something for everyone who isn't indifferent to Karela:

Is it legal in India???? KK

It is not legal as far as I know to grow karela in your backyard.....

I wish I could grow Kerala in my back yard

I have to report, though, that the bitter gourd crop was not a great success, although we did harvest two or three small ones.

Yes, a whole spoonful of shrikhand will make you gag. Just take it in small licks and you'll learn to enjoy it.

If nobody has anything more to say about karela I think it is about time we started talking about parval. That's my favourite vegetable. I like it in all forms, even candied (parval ki murabba).

I once bought srikhand instead of yoghurt, by mistake!