I added some salt and lemon juice to the bitter gourd slices and kept aside for 30 minutes. Then I squeezed them/washed them to remove the extra water and salt. This helps reduce the bitterness.
Add all the spice powders along with chickpea flour and rice flour together and sprinkle all over the bitter gourd slices.
Mix well and leave aside to marinate for about 20 minutes.
Now add 1 tbsp. oil and mix again. By now, the spice coating would adhere to the bitter gourd slices.
Deep Fry
If deep frying, heat oil in a pan and slowly fry the roundels till crispy. Drain on a kitchen paper towel and consume.
Air Fry
Preheat airfryer at 160 deg C for 5 minutes.
Brush the basket and lay out bitter gourd chips for airfrying or you can use parchment paper (helps prevent sticking).
Air fry for 10 minutes turning once in the middle.
Now bump up the temperature to 200 deg C and airfry for 6-8 minutes more turning once in the middle.
Your bitter gourd chips should turn golden brown and crispy.
Serve hot with chai.
Notes
1.These are tasty and super healthy compared to the deep fried version that you get in chips shops. The coating is thinner here but crispy.2. If you want your karela to be even lower on bitterness. You could add some tamarind juice to the bitter gourd pieces along with salt when you are trying to remove bitterness. This helps further cut the bitterness. Now enjoy your bittergourd chips. If you don’t have an airfryer, then try baking them instead of deep frying.3. Use a mandolin to evenly and thinly slice your bitter gourd. The thinner it is the crisper your chips will be.