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.
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
Pavakkai pitlai
Ingredients
- 12 mini bitter gourds/ midhi pavakkai or 2 long variety
- 2 tbsp moong dal/ pasi paruppu
- 2 tbsp chana dal/ kadalai paruppu
- 1 tsp tamarind
- 1 tsp sambar powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 cup Coconut grated
- Salt as needed
To roast and grind
- 5 red chilli
- 1 tbsp chana dal
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/8 tsp asafoetida
- 1 tsp Oil
To temper
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp Mustard
- 1 sprig curry leaves
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, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 the salt. For 4 whistles.
- Meanwhile, heat a pan with 2 tsp oil, add 1 tbsp chana dal, 1 tsp urad dal, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 5 red chillies, 1/8 tsp asafoetida.
- Roast in medium flame until dals turn crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate to cool down.
- Grind the roasted items with 1/4 cup grated coconut, 1/2 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 1/2 tsp jaggery for extra tasty pitlai. I actually forgot to add.
- You can marinate chopped bitter gourd with salt to get rid of some bitterness.
Pavakkai pitlai method:
- 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, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 the salt. For 4 whistles.
- Meanwhile, heat a pan with 2 tsp oil, add a tbsp chana dal, 1 tsp each urad dal & coriander seeds, 5 red chillies, 1/8 tsp asafoetida. Roast in medium flame until dals turn crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate to cool down.
- Grind the roasted items with 1/4 cup grated coconut, 1/2 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.
Notes
- Add 1/2 tsp 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.
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