Pavakkai Pitlai

Do you like bitter gourd? Many dont prefer to eat it due to its bitter nature. But if cooked in a right way, it is one awesome healthy vegetable and adds great flavour to the dish that is being cooked.

So today's post is on "Pavakkai pitlai". This is a very common traditional recipe that we make at our home. Pavakkai is bitter gourd and Pitlai is a South Indian recipe cooked with vegetables and lentils in a coconut & tamarind based gravy. The most common pitlais are made using bitter gourd and brinjal.

Consuming bitter gourd can do lot of wonders to our body. To name a few, they :

👉 boost our immune system

👉 help in reducing blood pressure

👉 cleanses the liver

👉 helps in lowering the blood sugar levels

There are lots more benefits. If you dont eat bitter gourd, please try making it in this form and consume it. You will find it definitely delicious and at the same time it is healthy too 💪.

Tip:

In this recipe, I ground tamarind along with the other ingredients (to grind). This will make sure that the tanginess of the tamarind is spread across the recipe, as well as the dish will not be very watery.

Let's get on to the post.

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd 2 medium

Toor Dal 1/2 cup

Tamarind lemon sized

Salt to taste

Mustard Seeds

Hing a pinch

Turmeric powder a pinch

Coconut 1/2 cup

Oil

To dry roast:

Chana Dal 2 tsp

Coriander Seeds 2 tsp

Pepper 1 tsp

Red Chillies 2

Method:

1. Chop bitter gourd into small pieces.

2. Pressure Cook tur dal and bitter gourd for 4 whistles.

3. Soak tamarind in little amount of hot water for 15 minutes.

4. Dry roast the ingredients given under "To dry roast" until golden brown. Switch off and allow it to cool.

5. Once done, grind the above along with coconut, soaked tamarind (with water) and hing into a thick paste.

6. Add the ground paste to the cooked tur dal.

7. Add salt and turmeric powder to it and boil for 3 to 5 minutes in medium flame.

8. Switch off the flame.

9. Heat oil in a pan. Once hot, add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add it to the above mixture.

10. Garnish with coriander leaves.