This Air fryer bitter gourd chips will turn you into a Bitter gourd lover and you will keep coming back for more. Using the air fryer makes the chips very healthy and a guilt-free snack.
Bitter gourd also known as Bitter melon, Pavakkai (in Tamil), and Karela (in Hindi), is one of our favorite vegetables. We grow a lot of them during summer. They are very easy to grow and the plants bear a lot of fruit.
This Bitter Gourd Chips in Air Fryer is the best recipe to use up a lot of homegrown pavakkai / bitter melon. These chips are so delicious and making them in an air fryer makes it a guilt-free snack.
For the second day of the BM theme, I am making a recipe from the Chozha Nadu / Chola Nadu. This region includes my ancestral town, Tanjore along with other towns like Ariyalur, Karaikal, Nagapattinam, Perambalur, Pudukkottai, Tiruchirapalli, and Thiruvarur.
Even though this Pavakkai Varuval or Pavakkai Chips is famous in other regions as well, my memories are attached to my family. This bitter gourd chip is an important recipe made for the yearly ancestral ceremony. I have always loved the crunchy and slightly bitter chips with my Rasam Rice.
I have another version of Bitter gourd chips which is deep-fried. So I adapted to a slightly different recipe and coated it with chickpeas flour, rice flour, and corn starch and added some heat to it.
Why use the Air Fryer
The air-fried bitter gourds come out perfectly crunchy and delicious. It took no effort from my side other than carefully slicing the bitter gourds into roundels and removing the center seed. Now, what are the kids for?
I put my boys into full use and they helped me remove the center fibrous part of the pavakkai. I just used about a couple of tablespoons of oil to brush my chips. Trust me that is nothing compared to how much the bitter gourd absorbs oil when fried the traditional way.
If you love your air fryer, then try making this delicious Arancini - Italian Rice Ball recipe. It comes out perfectly crunchy and has no compromise on the flavor.
How to take the Bitter out of the Bitter Gourd
Bitter gourd is a vegetable that is naturally bitter. Though it is impossible to completely remove all the bitterness, we can remove it to a certain extent. There are a couple of ways that I follow.
One of the methods is soaking the sliced bitter gourd in tamarind water. That is what I used here. I also use dilute buttermilk to soak the bitter gourd. This also helps in removing the bitterness to a certain extent.
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Cooking time - about 20 minutes
Difficulty level - Easy / Beginner
Ingredients Needed
- Bitter Gourd / Pavakkai / Karela - 6 medium
- Chickpeas flour / Besan - 3 TBSP
- Rice Flour - 3 TBSP
- Corn Starch - 1 ½ TBSP
- Salt - to taste
- Red chili powder - 2 teaspoon (adjust base on your spice preference)
- Oil - 2 TBSP
- Tamarind Pulp - 1 teaspoon or tamarind water squeezed from a lemon size tamarind ball
Step-by-step process
- Trim the edges off the bitter gourd and slice them into even-sized thin circles. Once all the bitter gourd is sliced, start removing the center fibrous part that has the seeds.
- Mix the tamarind pulp with enough water to soak the sliced bitter gourds. Also, add a teaspoon of salt to the tamarind water. If you are using fresh tamarind, soak it in hot water and then remove the pulp. Use this water to soak the bitter gourd.
- Let the bitter gourd soak for at least half an hour.
- Squeeze the bitter gourd out of the soaking liquid and place them in a bowl. Make sure that you remove as much moisture as possible. Placing the squeezed pieces on a paper towel will help as well.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except the oil to the bowl. Mix everything well using your hands.
- Preheat the air fryer to 370 F for about 3 minutes.
- Spray or brush the tray of the air fryer with oil and place the bitter gourds. Make sure that you don't crowd them too much. They can be on top of each other but just make sure that you don't layer them too much.
- Air fry them at 370 F for about 15 minutes. Check on them every 5 minutes and toss them around. This is when we will also brush the bitter gourds with some oil.
- Depending on the size of the bitter gourd, and the thickness of the slices, the timings will change. Make sure you keep tossing them around for even frying.
Notes and Observation
- The amount of the flour might vary a bit depending on how much of bitter gourd we use. The sizes of the gourds vary and hence use your judgment. The flour should coat them just enough.
- I would highly recommend brushing the bitter gourds with oil when tossing. This gives them a nice glossy look.
- Check on the Pavakkai chips frequently. Do not just set the timings and leave.
- The bitter gourd might clump up a bit. Break them apart when tossing.
Check out my other bitter gourd recipes here
If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter
Recipe
Bitter Gourd Chips in Air Fryer
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 6 Bitter Gourd / Pavakkai / Karela
- 3 tablespoon Chickpeas flour / Besan -
- 3 tablespoon Rice Flour
- 1 ½ tablespoon Corn Starch
- to taste Salt -
- 2 teaspoon Red chili powder adjust base on your spice preference
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Tamarind Pulp or tamarind water squeezed from a lemon size tamarind ball
Instructions
- Trim the edges off the bitter gourd and slice them into even sized thin circles. Once all the bitter gourd is sliced, start removing the center fibrous part that has the seeds.
- Mix the tamarind pulp with enough water to soak the sliced bitter gourds. Also add a teaspoon of salt to the tamarind water. If you are using fresh tamarind, soak it in hot water and then remove the pulp. Use this water to soak the bitter gourd.
- Let the bitter gourd soak for at least half an hour.
- Squeeze the bitter gourd out of the soaking liquid and place them in a bowl. Make sure that you remove as much as moisture as possible. Placing the squeezed pieces on a paper towel will help as well.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except the oil to the bowl. Mix everything well using your hands.
- Preheat the air fryer at 370 F for about 3 minutes.
- Spray or brush the tray of the air fryer with oil and place the bitter gourds. Make sure that you don't crowd them too much. They can be on top of each other but just make sure that you don't layer them too much.
- Air fry them at 370 F for about 15 minutes. Check on them every 5 minutes and toss them around. This is when we will also brush the bitter gourds with some oil.
- Depending on the size of the bitter gourd, the thickness of the slices, the timings will change. Make sure you keep tossing them around for even frying.
Notes
- The amount of the flours might vary a bit depending on how much of bitter gourd we use. The sizes of the gourds vary and hence use your judgement. The flours should coat them just enough.
- I would highly recommend brushing the bitter gourds with oil when tossing. This gives them a nice glossy look.
- Check on the chips frequently. Do not just set the timings and leave.
- The bitter gourd might clump up a bit. Break them apart when tossing.
Debbie Lubin says
Turned out great. Easy to execute, and taste. Thanks for the recipe.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Hi Debbie, thanks so much for trying the recipe and also letting me know.
Gv says
Excellent oil free and crunchy karela chips recipe
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks!
abigail li says
I like your cooking. Simple and Easy. If I couldn't find Chickpeas flour, what type of flour should I replace.
Super !!! Thank you !!!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot Abigail!
You can just sprinkle some rice flour or corn starch or also just do them without any flour.
Aswini says
Hi! I have wanting to try bitter gourd recipes in air fryer, Your steps are super helpful, Im gonna try it
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Aswini, thanks a lot! Glad you find the instructions helpful.
Swathi says
Tried this. Came out super crisp without a single drop of oil. Thanks for the recipe.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Swathi, so happy the recipe worked well. It is one of our favorites as well.
Arti says
What brand of air fryer do you recommend ?
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Arti, I have Power XL air fryer and have been using it for almost 1 1/2 years. I really like it and the food cooks evenly every time.
Mini says
Looks delicious! Any recommendations for a good air fryer?
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thank you! I have a Power XL air fryer that I have no complains at all.
Suma Gandlur says
Super. Air fryer comes to rescue when we need crisp fries. I have tried microwave version bitter gourd chips before and will remember this method next time I make them.
Swathi says
I am yet to buy air fryer. Sounds great idea. I don't how I will convince my hubby to get another kitchen gadget. May be he will as he love bitter gourd chips.
Sushma Pinjala says
I have made bitter gourd chips couple years ago, air fryers were not there that time. Looking at your picture, they are making me to try them soon in my air fryer. Such a simple and messfree dish. Good one
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
These looks so crispy and yummy! Thank you for the tips to bring the bitterness down in the gourd. I will certainly be using them when I make this!
Danielle says
That shape is something special. I definitely need to make these some time. They would be a big surprise for my guests.
Amara says
These chips turned out nice and crisp Sandhya. I have a lot of karela on hand that my hubby got from our farm. Will try your version today itself.
Harini Rupanagudi says
They look fantastic. Next time I shall try the air fryer version. Thanks for the tips, Sandhya.
Laavanya says
Tried this out and it turned out great! Thank you 👍
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Lavanya, Thanks a lot for trying the recipe and letting me know.
Vaishali Sabnani says
Karela is one of my favourite , and the guilt free chips look nice and crunchy . Soaking it in tamarind is new for me , I normally use curd and flour to remove the bitterness And I like the idea of using the airfryer , wondering why haven’t I thought of it !
Srivalli Jetti says
The chips surely have turned out excellent Sandhya, nice reading about the regions.