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pavakkai puli kuzhambu recipe (bittergourd kulambu without coconut)

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Total Time 45 minutes
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Bittergourd /pavakkai - 2-3 cut in roundels with seeds removed
  • Tamarind extract - lemon sized ball soaked and squeezed and diluted with water
  • Salt to taste
  • Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Chilli powder - 11/2 tsp
  • Jaggery powdered - as per taste
  • Coriander powder - 2 tsp
  • Chopped small onions - 3/4 cup
For tempering:
  • Gingelly oil -2-3 tsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  • Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
  • Some curry leaves
  • Crushed garlic cloves - 3-4

Method
 

  1. Keep everything ready including the bitter gourd.
  2. Mix turmeric in tamarind water itself and keep ready
  3. Bitter-gourd can be cut and soaked in some buttermilk and salt to reduce bitterness(for 15 minutes).
  4. Keep a kadai with oil add mustard to splutter add fenugreek then some curry leaves.
  5. Add crushed garlic.
  6. Then add onions when they become transparent add bitter-gourd by squeezing it from buttermilk water and add to onions with needed salt.
  7. Saute for some time add needed jaggery and stir.
  8. Then add chilli powder and coriander powder.
  9. Stir well till rawness of spices goes away.
  10. Add the diluted tamarind water and cook till the vegetable is cooked.
  11. When it comes to a gravy stage switch off.
  12. Serve with hot rice.

Notes

Gingelly oil tastes best for this recipe.
For making the gravy thick you can add rice-flour.Soaking bitter-gourd in buttermilk and salt helps to remove the bitterness to certain extent.