Words by Kaashvi Seth

A multi-generational family recipe from Vernika Awal's kitchen revealing there's more to travel food, or “musafiri khaana”, than just aloo.

Paired with Garam parathas and Arhar dal chawal, it’s a multi-generational family recipe slow-cooked to perfection. Unlike the usual aloo dishes for travel, her family’s choice of karela/tinde stands out as a special tradition.

Vernika Awal, shared a cherished recipe from her Nani, a Punjabi from Dehradun (then Uttar Pradesh). This regional influence explains why they accompany the dish with Arhar dal chawal, a pairing more typical in UP and not commonly found in Punjabi households.

She recalls, “Every time we traveled, these karelas and parathas were our ‘travel food’ or ‘musafir khaana” Fun fact: Her paternal family moved from Rawalpindi, where they still make kheema-stuffed karela, while in India, the dish is more vegetarian.

A second-generation recipe from Vernika Awal's kitchen revealing there's more to travel food, or “musafiri khaana”, than just aloo.

In the words of Vernika, "Not a vegetable that I’m too fond of, but I make an exception when it is bharwan karela made by Naani. Karela stuffed with its cooked peel and onions, and then slow cooked to attain that crisp texture and softness within - this is one of the best no waste cooking there is. 

Made a lot during winters as one can store these for a long time, almost like a pickle. I remember everyone also swore by the ones that my paternal grandmother used to make. In fact, every time we’d travel, these karelas and parathas were always our “travel food” or “musifiri khaana.”"

Karela stuffed with its cooked peel and onions, and then slow cooked to attain that crisp texture and softness within - this is one of the best no waste cooking there is.

 

BHARWAN KARELA RECIPE

Ingredients: 

4 Karela 

2 medium sized onions

4-5 pearls of garlic 

1tsp coriander powder 

1tsp red chilli powder 

1tsp turmeric powder 

1/2tsp roasted fennel seeds 

1/2tsp crushed kasuri methi 

1tsp amchur powder 

1/2tsp jeera seeds

Salt to taste 

Mustard oil  

Preparation: 

Rinse the karela in fresh water and then dry it after 5 minutes. Then peel it. 

Keep the peels aside in a bowl of water, as we will use them in the stuffing. 

Make a vertical cut on each karela, keeping the base intact. 

Scrape the pith with a spoon and keep it aside in a bowl full of water. 

Mix all the dry spices in a bowl. 

Cooking: 

In a kadhai add mustard oil. Once it’s hot, add the jeera seeds to it. 

As the jeera begins to crackle, add the chopped garlic followed by onions. 

Once the onions turn pink, add the scraped peels and seeds of the karela to the kadhai, followed by the dried spices + salt to taste 

Cook this masala well, till the oil begins to separate. 

Once the masala is cooked, take it out in a bowl and let it cool down. 

Stuff the cooled masala into the Karelas and then tie the karela with a thread to keep the masala intact. 

In the same kadhai, add some mustard oil and place the karelas neatly and cook this on low heat. 

Once done, remove the thread from the karela and serve it with hot namak-ajwain paratha or with dal-rice