Pavakkai Pitlai - Nutritious Bitter Gourd Curry !

Pavakkai Pitlai - flavorful curry which helps to mask the taste of bitter gourd and is healthy as well

Quantity - for 2 people lunch/dinner

Ingredients-

Tur Dal - 1 cup
Pavakkai/Bitter Gourd - 2 small cut into small cubes
Tamarind - 1 small ball soaked in warm water
Coconut - 1/2 cup fresh
Red whole chillies - 3/4
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Salt - as per taste
Haldi - to temper
Hing - to temper
Peanut Oil/Coconut oil/homemade ghee - to temper
Curry leaves - to temper
Mustard seeds - to temper
Water - for cooking dal and for curry

Procedure:

1.  Firstly , cook the Tur dal with 2 cups of water for 3/4 whistles or in instant pot for high pressure , manual mode 12 mins
2. In a kadai or saucepan , add little oil and fry the pavakkai cubes nicely . Add pinch of salt while frying .
3. Once the pavakkai looks half cooked/fried , add tamarind extract + hing + haldi and atleast 1/2 cup water and allow all of this to boil together for 7/8 mins
4. In the meanwhile , grind together coconut + red chillies + cumin seeds + black pepper . While grinding , add very less water . Here , we want to make a smooth paste of coconut and spices .
5. Now , add the cooked tur dal to the boiling tamarind + pavakkai and mix properly . Add required salt and allow it to cook together for couple of mins
6 . Next , add the coconut paste to the boiling dal . Mix well , adjust any salt . Allow this entire curry to simmer on medium heat now for atleast 5 mins.
7 . Finally make a tadka of ghee or coconut oil + mustard seeds + hing + curry leaves and pour it over the boiling pitlai .

Serve hot with steamed white rice + lemon pickle/mango pickle + papad :)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Keerai Molagootal - Palakkad style and Husband's favorite !

Keerai Molagootal - comfort dish which can be relished for lunch time with some steamed rice Quantity - 2 people lunch Ingredients: Spinach - 1 bag of spinach leaves Toor dal - 1 cup Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup Whole red chillies - 4/5 for grinding Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - to temper Hing - to temper Haldi - to temper Whole red chillies - 1/2 to temper Salt - as per taste Water - to cook Peanut oil - to temper Appliance needed: Preeti Mixer Procedure: 1. Cook toor dal with enough water and pinch of haldi in a pressure cooker. Mash it nicely once it is cooked . 2. In a large vessel , take all the spinach leaves , add 1/2 cup of water and close the vessel with lid to blanch the spinach . This might take 2/3 mins . Then reduce the flame to sim for 5 mins . 3. Now after the spinach is blanched properly and cooled , blend it in a mixer to a smooth paste . Some people like to keep it a bit chunky - you can do any ways which you like. 4. Remove t...
Read more

Kelyachi Shikran - quickest sweet recipe !

Kelyachi Shikran - comfort food or alternative when you feel like having a simple yet complete meal . Quantity - 2 cups of shikran Ingredients - Ripe Banana - 3 medium size  Milk - 1 cup  Sugar - 1 tsp Cardamom powder - a pinch  Procedure - 1. Warm milk slightly if it is directly taken out of the fridge. It should not be too hot . Room temperature is preferred . 2. Peel and mash banana with you hands and add it to the warm milk . Other option is chop banana into cubes or slices and add to milk 3. Add sugar and cardamom powder and mix everything well . Serve with hot phulkas or just eat as a mid meal/evening snacks :)
Read more

Crispy Kanda Bhaji - perfect to enjoy with the onset of Fall !

 Khekda Kanda bhaji - are crispy pakoras of onion and not of khekda or crab as the name suggests . They are simple called khekda bhaji because of their appearance .  Quantity - makes 10 crispy bhajis Ingredients: Onion = half of big or 1 medium size Besan - 3 tbsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Jeera powder - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 2 tsp or as per spice Haldi - one pinch Salt - as per taste Ajwain - 1/2 tsp (optional) Peanut oil - for frying Hot oil - 2 tbsp as mohan  Procedure- 1. Cut onion vertically into thin slices and separate out every slice . Take these into a big bowl. 2. Next add all the dry spices and besan and mix well . Also add salt and keep it aside 3. In meanwhile keep oil for frying in a kadai . When it becomes hot , remove 2 tbsp of oil and add it to the onion mixture . Mix well with onions and spices . By now , onion must have left some water due to salt and so the mixture becomes slightly wet . Do not add any water to the mixture . This will not make the b...
Read more