Here is a healthy air fry method to make karela chips without deep frying.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
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About Bitter Gourd Chips
A few months back, I found a bag of karela chips on the supermarket snacks shelf. I quite liked it. Later, I discovered that bitter gourd chips are the new rage among vegan and healthy food lovers, probably because they are one of the most delicious ways to eat bitter gourd.
Karela Chips are a popular snack or a side dish in India. Our grandmothers have been making pickles, sabzi, and chips using bitter gourd for decades. Bitter Gourd has tons of health benefits:
- it is a fantastic antioxidant
- it helps in reducing blood sugar
- it is low in calories and high in fibre
- a perfect ingredient for a gluten-free, vegan, plant-based diet
- it is a rich source of Vitamins, Minerals and several other nutrients
- regular consumption improves the immune system and respiratory health
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bitter Gourd: Use the fresh, green, blemish-free bitter gourd for making chips.
- Flour: I use gram flour (besan) and rice flour. You can substitute them with tempura flour, all-purpose flour, and cornstarch.
- Seasoning: Red Chilli Powder, Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Chaat Masala, Garlic Powder, Pickle Masala, and Salt. You can season karela chips with spices and herbs of your choice.
- Oil: I use mustard oil for its pungent aroma and sharp taste to tone down the bitterness of gourd. You can use coconut oil, sesame oil, or vegetable oil.
How To Make Karela Chipa
Step 1) Using a knife or peeler, roughly scrape the skin of the bitter gourd. You can skip this step if the outer skin is very thin and tender.
Step 2) Wash bitter gourd nicely. Pat dry with a towel before slicing.
Step 3) Cut thin chips like rounds of bitter gourd using a sharp knife. Discard the seeds from the centre if you want. I leave them intact.
Step 4) Transfer sliced bitter gourd to a bowl; add flour, seasoning, salt, and oil. Mix nicely to coat each piece with the flour and seasoning (images 1 & 2).
Step 5) Preheat the air fryer to 170 degrees Celcius. Spray the air fryer basket with oil.
Step 6) Arrange marinated bitter gourd slices neatly on the air fryer basket without overlapping (image 4).
Step 7) Air Fry for 20 minutes, turning the karela chips halfway through. Or you can air fry them till the chips turn crisp.
Storage Suggestion
Allow karela chips to cool down before storing. It is best to store karela chips in an airtight container. You can serve them as a healthy munching snack or with everyday Indian meals as a side dish.
Whether you deep fry or air fry karela chips, their shelf life is less than 2 days. Hence, it is best to make them in small batches.
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Pasta Chips
- Potato Chips
- Banana Chips
- Sabudana Vada
- Crispy Chickpeas
- Sweet Potato Chaat
- Vrat Special Aloo Tikki
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Air Fryer Karela Chips Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 gram bitter melon (bitter gourd)
- ¼ Cup gram flour (besan)
- 2 tablespoon rice flour
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
- 1 teaspoon Chaat Masala
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ⅛ Cup mustard oil (sarson oil)
Instructions
- Using a knife or peeler, roughly scrape the skin of the bitter gourd. You can skip this step if the outer skin is very thin and tender.
- Wash bitter gourd nicely. Pat dry with a towel before slicing.
- Cut thin chips like rounds of bitter gourd using a sharp knife. Discard the seeds from the centre if you want. I leave them intact.
- Transfer sliced bitter gourd to a bowl; add flour, seasoning, salt, and oil. Mix nicely to coat each piece with the flour and seasoning.
- Preheat the air fryer to 170 degrees Celcius. Spray the air fryer basket with oil.
- Arrange marinated bitter gourd slices neatly on the air fryer basket without overlapping.
- Air Fry for 20 minutes, turning the karela chips halfway through. Or you can air fry them till the chips turn crisp and golden.
- Serve karela chips as a snack or Indian side dish.
Recipe Notes:
- Alternatively, deep fry the karela chips in hot oil till crisp and crunchy. Transfer them to a colander. Allow to cool. Then serve and store.
- You can thinly slice the chips with a vegetable slicer or a sharp knife.
- Do not leave the karela chips in the marinate for more than 10 minutes. Else, the bitter gourd will start releasing water.
Ys Reddy says
Good use of air fryer. Method well explained. Thank you…
Hina Gujral says
thank you! Glad you liked it.