Pavakkai Pitlai
Bitter gourd cooked in a tamarind based gravy and freshly ground spices
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 35 min
- Yield
- 5 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Uncooked Toor dal
- 1/4 cup kala chana or kabuli chana
- 2 small bitter gourd
- A small lemon sized tamarind
- 1 and 1/2 cup water to get tamarind extract
- 2 tsp oil
- Mustard seeds
- Few curry leaves
- 3 tsp sambar powder
- Salt as needed
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- Asafoetida 2 pinches
- Water as needed
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds | dhaniya
- 3 red chili
- 1 tbsp chana dal
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 2-3 tbsp grated coconut
- 1 tsp oil
Instructions
- 1
Pressure cook the toor dal with 1 and 1/4 cup water.
- 2
Add ¼ tsp turmeric powder while cooking the dal.
- 3
Soak the chana overnight or for 6-7 hours.
- 4
Cut the bittergourd into roundels.
- 5
Pressure cook this soaked chana for 4 whistles. Add ¾ cup water and little salt while cooking this.
- 6
In a pan add 1 tsp oil and roast the coriander seeds, red chili, urad dal and chana dal.
- 7
Roast till the dal turns golden brown.
- 8
Switch off the flame and add the coconut.
- 9
Cool and grind this into a fine paste. You can add water while grinding this.
- 10
In a vessel add the tamarind extract, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt and asafoetida.
- 11
Let this boil for 7 minutes.
- 12
Now add the cooked chana, toor dal and ground paste.
- 13
Mix well and add 1/2 cup 1 cup water to adjust the consistency.
- 14
Let this boil for 3-4 minutes. Stir in between.
- 15
Switch off the flame.
- 16
In a pan add 2 tsp of oil (preferably coconut) and add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
- 17
Once the mustard splutters add this to the pitlai.
- 18
Pavakkai pitlai is ready.