Pavakkai Pitlai

Pavakkai is Tamil for Karela or Bitter Gourd and as the name suggests, the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about this vegetable is it's bitterness. Very few people love this taste and we generally avoid it in our regular meals, but with a bit of love and cooked properly with the right spices this vegetable can be quite interesting and inviting. Pavakkai Pitali is common in South Indian cuisine and it's something I have also grown up with at my house. It's made with a tangy and mildly spicy tamarind base gravy that is quite similar to sambar but with some additional spices and some roasted coconut. I would definitely recommend this dish to all the haters of bitter gourd and welcome them to fall in love with it. Do let me know in the comments below how you liked this recipe. 😊😊😊

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SERVES: 4-5
PREP TIME: 10 min
COOK TIME: 20 min

• 1 big karela (finely chopped)
• 1 cup tur dal
• 1 lime size tamarind 
• 1 pinch of hing
• salt
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• oil
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• oil

for Masala

• ¼ cup coconut
• 2 dried red chilies
• ¼ tsp chana dal

for Tadka

• oil 
• mustard seeds 

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1. Soak: In a small bowl soak the tamarind ball for 10 mins. In another bowl add the finely chopped karela, some salt and soak for 10-15 mins. This will help to remove the bitterness from the karelas.

2. Fry:  Add the tur dal to a pressure cooker with some salt and cook it for about 3-4 whistles. Once the pressure is completely released remove the dal and set it aside. Rinse the karelas under running water and pat them dry. Now, in a kadai add some oil and fry the karelas till they are slight brown in color. Squeeze the tamarind and add the juice to the kadai. Simmer and cook this for about 1-2 mins. Now, add the tur dal, turmeric powder, salt and ¼ cup water and simmer and cook this for 10-15 mins. 

3. Make masala: In a pan dry roast some red chilies, chana dal and urad dal for 1-2 mins till they get aromatic. Remove them from the flame and add to the mixi jar. Add the grated coconut and grind it to a fine powder. Add this masala to the curry and mix it well.

4. Add Tadka: In a small tadka kadai add some oil, once the oil heats up add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter add the tadka to the dal and enjoy with some steamed rice by the side.

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