Bitter Gourd Chips in Air Fryer

5 from 5 votes

This Air fryer bitter gourd chips will turn you into a Bitter gourd lover and you will keep coming back for more.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 98kcal

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

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.

Expert tips and FAQ's

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.