Pavakkai Fry | Pavakya Fry | Kakarakaya Fry | Easy Bitter Gourd Fry (Deep Fry)

By know you guys would be knowing my family's love for bitter gourd. Though I am very picky about the dishes made with pavakkai, this one is a personal as well as family favourite. Deep frying can make even the boring bittery bitter gourd yum and this recipe is a testimonial for that ;) And even my guests adore this fry. It tastes yum with curd rice, rasam sadam and samabar sadam.. My little one munches them as such :D And this is the only way he eats bitter gourd. Can't blame him ;) So let's hop on to the recipe now..

Some other recipes with bitter gourd that are there in the blog are Pitla, Pavakya Pulin Curry, Pavakkai Puli Kuzhambu & Khatta Meeta Karela..

Serves: 2-3 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins

I Used:

Bitter Gourd/Pavakkai	-	2 medium sized ones
Red Chilly powder	-	1 ½ tsp
Coriander powder	-	1 ½ tsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Tamarind Paste	-	1 tsp (or a gooseberry sized piece)
Grated Jaggery (refer notes) Salt Oil	- - -	1 tsp As Needed To deep fry

The Way:

1. Rinse the bitter gourd well in water. You can scrape off the edges if needed. Else can use them as such. Trim the edges and cut them into thin round slices. The seeds and the skin are edible. If you do not prefer you can remove the seeds

2. Take the cut bitter gourd slices in a bowl. Add the red chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, jaggery and tamarind paste, besan and rice flour (if using) to it and mix well. I did not have tamarind paste handy so I added a goseberry sized tamarind instead

3. Allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes

4. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or tadka pan

5. First add the tamarind piece (if using paste, directly add the marinated bitter gourd slices) to it. After 30-40 seconds, add a batch of the bitter gourd pieces and fry it till it turns colour and becomes deep and crisp

6. Remove onto a plate and fry the remaining bitter gourd pieces also like this in batches and serve with rice and gravy

Notes:

• To remove some bitterness you can rub salt to the bitter gourd pieces and rest it for 20 minutes. Then rinse it under water and then use. Alternately you can soak in curd as well and squeeze or rinse off the curd and then use. But since this recipe calls for deep frying the bitter gourd, the bitter taste is not felt much and hence I avoid that step

• You can skip jaggery if you do not want. The tamarind and jaggery are to reduce the bitterness of the gourd

• You can add 2-3 tbsp each of besan flour and rice flour or either one of the flour to the bitter gourd slices while marinating. The flours will add a coating to the bitter gourd slices and make them look more appealing :) I generally do not add them

Cheers,

Chitz

Pavakya Pulin Curry | Kaipekka Puli Curry | Kerala Style Kaipakka Pulincurry without coconut | Bitter Gourd in Tamarind Gravy

I am not a fan of bitter gourd but the better half is crazy about it :( So it kinda features regularly in our menu. I try to make it as appeasing as possible by making Bitter Gourd Fry (really deep ;)) or something like this Pitla, which uses lesser quantity of bitter gourd and where the dominating taste is that of the dal and the masala ;) Once in a while I am okay with the Pavakka Puli Kuzhambu and that's only because it uses coconut ;) This is the first time i am liking something which does not mask the bitter gourd taste nor uses coconut or has another dominating taste. But even then I do not eat the bitter gourd in this gravy. But this gravy is just awesome and tastes quite like Meen Mulakittathu. Now you understood why I liked it right? Just a little of this gravy is enough for me to eat scoopfuls of rice ;) And this is getting featured in our menu too quite often :) So you wanna know how to make it. Head on to the recipe then.. 

If you would like to, check out Khatta Meeta Karela too !

Recipe Source: Adapted from here

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 3-4 persons

I Used:

Coconut Oil	-	1 tbsp
Onions	-	1 medium sized one - sliced
Garlic	-	4-5 cloves
Bitter Gourd	-	1 small sized one or ½ a medium sized one
Turmeric powder	-	¼ tsp
Red Chilly powder	-	2 tsp
Coriander powder	-	1 tsp
Fenugreek powder	-	¼ tsp
Tamarind	-	A gooseberry sized ball

To Temper:

Coconut Oil	-	2 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Red Chilly	-	2 nos
Shallots	-	6-8 nos - sliced
Curry leaves	-	2 sprigs

The Way:

1. Clean the bitter gourd and cut into small pieces suitable for the gravy. You can do this by cutting the bitter gourd into half (vertically) and then remove the pith. Then cut the bitter gourd into small pieces. Also slice the onions and peel the garlic and keep ready

2. Soak tamarind in warm water for 15-20 minutes. Then extract the pulp and keep aside

3. In a bowl, mix together red chilly powder, coriander powder and fenugreek powder with little (around 1-2 tbsp) water and make into a smooth paste and keep aside

4. Heat coconut oil in a pan/kadai/manchatti 

5. Add the sliced onions and garlic pods and saute for a minute. Add the cut bitter gourd pieces and give a stir. Then add turmeric powder and salt and mix well

6. Add water - around 1/4 cup and close and cook for 5-6 minutes

7. Now add the masala paste to the bitter gourd and mix well and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes or till the raw smell of the masala goes away

8. Then add the tamarind water and give a nice stir. Allow it to boil

9. Once it boils, simmer the flame and cook covered for another 10-15 minutes. Then switch off flame

10. In another tadka pan, heat the coconut oil. Splutter mustard

11. Then add the broken red chilly, curry leaves and the sliced shallots. Stir continuously in low flame till the shallots turn colour and start turning brown. Take care not to burn the tadka

12. Add the tadka/tempering to the gravy and give a gentle stir. Allow it to sit for half an hour if possible before serving

Cheers,

Chitz

Kerala Style Aviyal Recipe | How to make Kerala Avial | Onam Sadhya Recipe Aviyal

Aviyal.. The word literally translates to concotion or a mixture of different things! That's what this dish is also all about. It is a beautiful collection of different veggies cooked together along with curd and coconut. And it is a potpourri of all different kinds of taste like salt, sour, sweet and bitter.. Curd gives the sourness and a little bit of bitter gourd gives the bitterness. 

According to Wikipedia, the origin of Aviyal is 

'It is supposed to have been invented by Bhima (one of the Pandava brothers) during their exile. According to the legend, when Ballav (Bhima's name during this time) assumed his duties as the cook in the kitchen of Virata, he did not know how to cook. One of the first things he did was to chop up many different vegetables, boil them together and top the dish with grated coconut. There are mythological variations. Bheema is said to have prepared Avial, when there were unexpected guests for King Virata and he needed to serve meals for them. There was no sufficient vegetables to cook any single recipe for side dish, so Bheema used what ever available vegetables to make a new dish, which came to be known as Avial'

Different parts of Kerala cook this dish in a slightly different manner from one another. Some use cumin seeds while some don't. Some cook the veggies in curd whereas some add curd in the end. My version of this recipe is from my MIL who makes them in Malabar (to be exact, Nilambur) style. I am specifically saying that coz the Calicut version (which is just a 1.5 hour drive from Nilambur) has an entirely different taste ! And my fussy eater (when it comes to veggies) hubby doesn't seem to like any other version other than this ;) But I must confess, that this is one of the best aviyals that I have had as well. I have lived in many places in Kerala like Trivandrum, Kollam, Kottayam, Kochi, so I can very well vouch for this version ! And this is one dish that I actually look forward to whenever I visit Kerala :) 

The key and the time consuming part of making this dish is cutting the veggies. All the veggies should be cut to equal lengths. And make it as thin as you can so that it cooks faster and blends in well ! During Onam, it seems that it was Deeps' duty to cut these veggies to perfection. And this is done on the night before Thiruvonam. Veggies are cut and kept ready for cooking the next day so that it is easier to finish off that big list of dishes for the Sadhya.. So let's move on to see how this lipsmacking traditional Kerala style aviyal is made !

Serves: 5-6 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Ash Gourd/Kumbalanga	-	Around 200 gm
Drumstick/Murungakya	-	2 medum sized
Elephant Yam/Chena	-	Around 100 gm
Kaya/Raw Banana	-	1 medum sized
Carrot	-	1 medum sized
Bitter Gourd/Pavakka	-	A quarter of a medium sized one
Long Beans/Payar	-	Around 10 nos
Curd	-	½ - ¾ cup
Coconut Oil	-	1 tbsp
Curry Leaves	-	A sprig

To Grind:

Coconut	-        ¾	cup
Green Chilly	-	2 nos
Curry leaves	-	2 sprigs

The Way:

1. Cut all veggies into thin slices lengthwise of approximately 2 inches of length. All the veggies should be cut to the same length. The thinner the better. It will get cooked faster

2. Now take all the cut veggies in a wide pan or uruli if using one. Add salt, turmeric powder and chilly powder and little water (approximately 1/4 cup) give a gentle stir

3. Allow it to come to a boil. Once the water starts boiling, reduce the flame and cover the pan and cook till the veggies are almost done. The yam and long beans take the longest time to cook. So the test is to check if they are cooked

4. Meanwhile grind together grated coconut, green chillies and curry leaves in a blender. Do not add water. It should not become smooth. 3-4 pulses should be enough

5. Now add whisked curd. Whisk the curd once using a whisk or give a quick pulse in mixie. If the curd has lumps it will be difficult to get it blended with the veggies

6. Cook uncovered till there is on water content. Now add the ground coconut and give a quick gentle stir. Leave for about a minute or two

7. Now add the coconut oil and curry leaves and give a gentle stir. Aviyal is ready to be served

Notes:

• The curd should be really sour. That gives the needed tanginess for the aviyal

• Do not add more curd as the aviyal will turn watery and the veggies will get over cooked then and turn into a mash. Key is to use really sour curd so that less quantity would be sufficient

• Add very little bitter gourd else the dish will turn out very bitter

• Add little water to cook as you do not want the veggies to be over cooked and become mushy

Cheers,
Chitz

Khatta Meeta Karela | Sweet & Sour Bitter Gourd

Bitter Gourd stir fry with Indian spices & Jaggery

Summer is at it's good mood here & I should admit that I am having a great time. Usually it seems that,  summer here means no snow & frequent rains with sun peaking out once in a while. But this time it's more of the radiant bright yellow hue with less of rains & I sincerely hope it remains the same :) And the pathways & gardens & fences are lined with bright & chirpy flowers in brilliant & bold shades. Even the river that flows through the center of this town looks lush green with the shadow of the big pines & apple & cherry trees on it's banks !! And the days are long as 20 hours, that  you never see the night for nearly 4 months a year,  unless you are a very late sleeper.. Feels heavenly right?? Wait before you decide that this is more better than your hometown :D All these goodness is compensated during the next 8 months of the year, when it snows heavily & you see the sun only for 4 hours a day !! And you can talk about the temperatures in (minus two digit) range :( But, some people do enjoy that weather right, so all together it comes as a package :) So here are some pics for you my friends !!

I have been doing a lot of cooking these days, but the photo shoot does not happen that often & hence it doesn't make it to this space. I had been having a lot of guests & get togethers & some experimental cooking.. Come summer time & it is jolly time for we ladies out here. Frequent get togethers & that implies food, food & a lot of food.. But summer is just an excuse to meet more frequently than in winter :D So coming to today's recipe, it's a bitter gourd stir fry that gels well with rotis & parathas and even with steamed rice & Morukari (Gravy with curd) as I had. Bitter gourd is Deeps' favorite veggie & so it features often in our menu (& hence this space ;)) & I not being a great fan of it, like to experiment with it to suit my taste buds. This recipe is from my mom's old cooking diary which too has a story with it ;) Maybe some other time, I guess I have talked enough for now..  Definitely try this recipe if you are not a great fan of bitter gourd as it has the perfect blend of sweetness & sourness to it which would take you a step closer to liking the healthy veggie !! Some other recipes with bitter gourd that are there in the blog are Pitla, Pavakka Puli Kuzhambu, Pavakya Pulin Curry & Bitter Gourd Fry.. 

Recipe from Ma's ole diary 

Serves: 3-4 persons

I Took: 35 minutes

I Used:

Bitter Gourd/Karela - 500 gm Onions - 2 nos - big - chopped Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 ½ tbsp Red Chilly powder - ⅓ tsp Coriander powder - ⅓ tsp Amchur (Dry mango) powder - ½ tsp Turmeric powder - ⅓ tsp Jaggery - 4 tsp White Vinegar/Lemon juice - 1 tbsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt - As Needed

The Way:

1. Wash & scrape the bitter gourd. Remove the seeds and cut them into ½ inch thick pieces
2. Boil them in salt water. I kept on microwave high for 12 minutes. Drain the water & keep aside
3. Heat oil in a pan. Fry onion slices. When they turn translucent add the ginger-garlic paste & saute well
4. Once the raw smell goes off add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder, amchur powder, salt & 4-5 tsp of water & mix well
5. Add the boiled bitter gourd pieces and mix well. Cover & keep on low flame for 5-6 minvutes
6. Remove the cover & add jaggery to it. Cover again & cook for 2 minutes 
7. Remove from flame & add the white vinegar OR lemon juice & mix well

Serve hot with parathas or roti or puri

Cheers,

Chitz

Pavakkai Puli Kuzhambu | Pavakkai Kara Kuzhambu | Tangy Bitter Gourd Gravy - with coconut

Bitter Gourd cooked in tamarind with coconut sauce

Can we say anytime that we are preparing an authentic dish?? Actually speaking, no right? Coz we may not have some ingredients at hand or we may substitute some costly or high fat content ingredient with some healthy or that which is readily available ones, na? Most of the times, we give consideration to our taste buds & tweak the recipe accordingly. And other times, it is the comfort factor involved in preparation. Mixie & grinders have replaced our traditional mortar & pestle, fresh ingredients are replaced with dry & dessicated & packaged & tinned & bottled !! We neither have the time nor the patience to try something the authentic traditional way ;)

You may be wondering what's the point I am trying to make here?? Actually nothing :D In simple words, I forgot the way that my friend makes this dish & ended up inventing my own one, but which still tastes great !! Too much talk for that right? ;) My friend K used to prepare some awesome dishes for us at our PG. Mostly we wud be her helpers, assisting her in chopping & cleaning :) The beauty is that, all her dishes would require minimal & simple preparation & would taste heavenly !! That inspired me to make some bitter gourd puli kuzhambu one day, but I could vaguely recollect how she did it.. U see, I was busy chopping & grinding then ;) But could remember the ingredients, so went ahead & made this kuzhambu. The highlight of the story is that Deeps liked the gravy & I was showered with all praises. So this time, I learnt from my mistake & I jotted down the way I did it. After that I have been preparing this gravy quite often & every time we relished it !! So this time, I decided that this should feature here.. It is a tangy gravy with maximum effort concentrated on reducing the bitterness of the bitter gourd.. So someone who is on the look out of such a recipe, here it is !! Some other recipes with bitter gourd that are there in the blog are Pitla, Pavakya Pulin Curry, Bitter Gourd Fry & Khatta Meeta Karela..

Serves: 2-3 persons

I Took: 40 minutes

I Used:

Bitter Gourd	-	250 gm / 3 medium sized ones
Onion	-	1 - medium sized - Chopped
Tomato	-	1 - medium sized -Cut into 8
Grated Coconut	-	¼ cup
Tamarind	-	A small goosberry sized piece
Jaggery	-	2 tbsp
Red Chilly powder	-	1 tsp
Coriander powder	-	2 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Green Chilly	-	2 nos
Cumin Seeds	-	½ tsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Oil	-	2 tbsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. When it splutters, add tomato & saute till the raw smell goes off & it becomes a little mushy
2. Lower the flame to minimum & add red chilly powder & coriander powder & saute well. Switch off the flame once it is mixed well. Take care not to burn
3. Add grated coconut to this sauteed tomatoes. Add 3-4 tbsp water & grind to a smooth paste
4. Soak the tamarind in ¼ cup of water for 15-20 minutes. Extract the pulp from the tamarind & keep aside
5. Wash the bitter gourd & scrape off the small thorns on it. Cut the bitter gourd into half and de-seed (remove the soft mushy part as well) them. Slice the bitter gourd into ½ inch pieces
6. In the pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Splutter mustard. Add onions & saute
7. When the onions become translucent, add the bitter gourd pieces and saute well for around 4-5 minutes
8. Now add turmeric powder, salt & the ground paste. Mix well. Add ¼ cup of water,  cover & cook till done which should take around 8-10 minutes
9. Finally add the tamarind pulp & jaggery (Refer Notes) and allow it to come to a boil

Serve hot with steamed rice & a kootu of your choice :)

Notes:

Addition of jaggery is to reduce the bitterness of the bitter gourd. For the dark green bitter gourd, you may require a little more. Adjust according to your taste

Cheers,

Chitz

Bittergourd Pitla | Pavakkai Pitla

Bitter Gourd & chickpeas cooked in mashed lentils and ground masala

I am not a big fan of bitter gourd unlike Deeps. But I do feel the need to eat it coz of its benefits to health viz good for the stomach and skin, reduces diabetes etc etc .. Yea, I am sounding boring. So does the sight of bitter gourd to me. So I make all efforts to look and taste as interesting as possible. That was when I remembered that my mom used to make this 'Pavakkai Pitla' and how I used to lick my fingers after eating that without any complaints of the bitterness of 'bitter gourd'. So here is the recipe for the gravy 'Pitla' to all those who would wanna enjoy the benefits of bitter gourd without much credit for its bitterness part :D Some other recipes with bitter gourd that are there in the blog are Pavakka Puli Kuzhambu, Pavakya Pulin Curry, Bitter Gourd Fry & Khatta Meeta Karela..

Recipe Source: Ma's Cookbook

I Took:

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Cooking Time : 25 minutes

I Used:

Tur Dal	-	½ cup
Channa	-	½ cup - boiled
Bitter Gourd	-	1 no - medium sized
Tamarind	-	20 gm or small lemon sized
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As needed
Oil	-	As needed
Mustard seeds	-	To temper

Roast & Grind:

Red Chilly                             - 6 nos Coriander seeds                    - 4 tsp Urd Dal                                 - 2 tsp Roasted gram/Pottu Kadalai/Udacha Kadalai - 2 tsp  Coconut                               - ¼ cup Asafoetida                            - ½ tsp Curry leaves                         - A sprig

The Way:

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadai and fry the bitter gourd in it for a few minutes and keep aside
2. In the same kadai roast all the ingredients under the Roast & Grind section. Grind them with a little water and keep aside
3. Soak the tamarind in water for about 15-20 minutes and extract the juice
4. Heat tamarind juice in a pan and add the bitter gourd pieces to it
5. Add salt, turmeric and allow it to come to a boil
6. Now add the boiled and smashed tur dal and boiled channa 
7. Add the ground paste and cook in slow fire for another 10 minutes
8. Temper mustard seeds and add it to the gravy

Serve it with boiled rice and raita.

Note: 

The actual recipe doesn't call for garlic. But I added 2 pods while boiling tur dal for gastronomical reasons 

Cheers,

Chitz