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    Home » Recipes » Kootu Recipes

    Pavakkai pitlai recipe, bitter gourd pitlai

    July 18, 2019 by Raks Anand 3 Comments / Jump to Recipe

    pavakkai-pitlai-recipe

    Pavakkai pitlai is a delicious, most flavorful dish made with bitter gourd along with some fresh ground spices. With quick video and step by step pictures.

    I know I am super late posting this awesome recipe with pavakkai. I somehow hate bitter gourd, especially pitlai in my childhood. Still I remember how I feel about pavakkai when made pitlai or added to sambar. I have tried my best to try to eat it but the kaduk muduk seeds just put me off. It used to be my worst days when it was pavakkai for lunch.

    But for past two years, always had a feel that my taste would have definitely changed just like my liking towards other such dish which I used to hate as a kid but loving it after I started cooking. Pitlai is one amongst it. Few times or when ever I see fresh midhi pavakkai or even fresh stock of pavakkai, I used to ask Vj if he likes pitlai. He told me he doesn't like anything else other than chips. I too have told him, even I hate pavakkai pitlai the most. Still I thought the fresh ground masala should be awesome with flavour of pavakkai and asked amma many times about the recipe and drop the plan.

    pavakkai-pitlai

    This time when I went to India, FIL got midhi pavakkai (in Kumbakonam).They were fresh and super cute. I thought I should definitely make pitlai and click with my mobile for post too. Somehow the next few days, I could not make it and it was left in the fridge in the cloth pouch. When I opened the day I am going to cook, few of it were yellow/ ripe. I felt really bad for wasting it and immediately made pitlai that day.

    As expected, it was super delicious and flavourful, except that I still could not eat the bitter gourd. but had two servings of pitlai with rice and loved it. I made it with moong dal just like my mom in law do. But knew amma used to add chana dal at times. Otherwise I could not remember how I did it that day at kumbakonam, made mostly like the rasavangi grinding part except for the other procedures.

    Key is to use more tamarind and spice to suppress the bitterness. I was time pressed at kumbakonam when I made it and I used pressure cooker. Felt it was good idea to use pressure cooker for cooking bitter gourd. So followed the same method today too.

    Check out

    1. Pavakkai podi
    2. Bitter gourd chips
    3. Pavakkai stir fry
    pavakkai-pitlai-recipe
    Print Pin
    4.80 from 5 votes

    Pavakkai pitlai

    Pavakkai pitlai is a delicious, most flavorful dish made with bitter gourd along with some fresh ground spices. With quick video and step by step pictures.
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine Indian
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes
    Soaking time 1 hour
    Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
    Servings 4

    Equipments (Amazon Affiliate links)

    • pressure cooker
    • chopping board
    • knife
    • Food processor or blender
    • kadai/ pan
    • Boiling pot
    • ladle
    Cup measurements

    Ingredients

    • 12 mini bitter gourds/ midhi pavakkai or 2 long variety
    • 2 tablespoon moong dal/ pasi paruppu
    • 2 tablespoon chana dal/ kadalai paruppu
    • 1 teaspoon tamarind
    • 1 teaspoon sambar powder
    • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
    • ¼ cup Coconut grated
    • Salt

    To roast and grind

    • 5 red chilli
    • 1 tablespoon chana dal
    • 1 teaspoon urad dal
    • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
    • ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida
    • 1 teaspoon Oil

    To temper

    • 1 teaspoon oil
    • ½ teaspoon Mustard
    • 1 sprig curry leaves
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Soak 2 tbsp chana dal, 1 tsp tamarind separately in two bowls for 30 mins to 1 hour.
    • Extract tamarind juice. Cut bitter gourd into cubes or thin slices, how ever you like it. (remove seeds)
    • Pressure cook 2 tbsp moong dal, with the soaked chana dal in one container. In another container, add cut bitter gourd with tamarind juice (1 cup), 1 tsp sambar powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ the salt. For 4 whistles.
    • Meanwhile, heat a pan with 2 teaspoon oil, add 1 tbsp chana dal, 1 tsp urad dal, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 5 red chillies, ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida.
    • Roast in medium flame until dals turn crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate to cool down.
    • Grind the roasted items with ¼ cup grated coconut, ½ cup water to a paste.
    • Once the dal and bitter gourd are cooked, transfer both to a heavy bottomed vessel.
    • Adjust salt and water. Bring to boil.
    • Add ground paste and mix well. Adjust water if needed. Bring to boil. Keep stirring often.
    • Switch off the stove. Temper with mustard, curry leaves and mix it with pitlai.

    Video

    Notes

    • Add ½ teaspoon jaggery for extra tasty pitlai. I actually forgot to add.
    • You can marinate chopped bitter gourd with salt to get rid of some bitterness. 
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    Pavakkai pitlai method:

    1. Soak 2 tablespoon chana dal, 1 teaspoon tamarind separately in two bowls for 30 mins to 1 hour. Extract tamarind juice. Cut bitter gourd into cubes or thin slices, how ever you like it. (remove seeds)step-1-pitlai
    2. Pressure cook 2 tablespoon moong dal, with the soaked chana dal in one container. In another container, add cut bitter gourd with tamarind juice (1 cup), 1 teaspoon sambar powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ the salt. For 4 whistles.step-2-cook
    3. Meanwhile, heat a pan with 2 teaspoon oil, add a tablespoon chana dal, 1 teaspoon each urad dal & coriander seeds, 5 red chillies, ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida. Roast in medium flame until dals turn crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate to cool down.step-3-roast
    4. Grind the roasted items with ¼ cup grated coconut, ½ cup water to a paste.step-4-grind
    5. Once the dal and bitter gourd are cooked, transfer both to a heavy bottomed vessel.step-5-cook
    6. Adjust salt and water. Bring to boil.step-6-boil
    7. Add ground paste and mix well. Adjust water if needed. Bring to boil. Keep stirring often.step-7-boil
    8. Switch off the stove. Temper with mustard, curry leaves and mix it with pitlai.step-8-temper

    Notes

    • Add ½ teaspoon jaggery for extra tasty pitlai. I actually forgot to add.
    • You can marinate chopped bitter gourd with salt to get rid of some bitterness. 

    Serve with hot steamed rice and ghee. Mix and enjoy! I loved it with mor sadam too.

    pavakka-pitlai

    Other Wholesome Kootu recipes

    • Zucchini kootu recipe, with coconut south Indian style
    • Spring onion kootu recipe, vengaya thal kootu
    • Green papaya kootu recipe, pappali kai kootu
    • Parangikai kootu recipe, yellow pumpkin kootu

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anonymous

      January 27, 2021 at 6:52 am

      5 stars
      Easy and tasty recipe alternative to varuvl-the only recipe I knew of pavakkai

      Reply
    2. Asha

      February 02, 2021 at 11:12 am

      5 stars
      Perfect recipe. Tastes excellent

      Reply
      • Raks Anand

        February 02, 2021 at 2:14 pm

        Thank you very much

        Reply

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    Raks anand

    Hi, I'm Rajeswari Vijayanand! I am the person behind Rakskitchen, sharing recipes with pictures & videos.

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