Thursday, September 29, 2011

Bittergourd pitla

Over the last few years, I’ve been testing my limits with that most unattractive of vegetables, the bittergourd (or karela, bitter melon, pavakkai or whatever name you call it – my husband terms them “rats”), to see just HOW much I love it.

I used to hate it completely, in any form, as a kid. In my late teens or thereabouts, I would as a concession eat them deep fried (yes, I know, very broad-minded of me) mainly because the ones from Hot Chips in Abhiramapuram were sensational.

Eventually, after a couple of decades, I got around to eating them pan-fried crisp, as a dry curry. After that things moved a lot more rapidly in the experimentation department, and I moved on to karela-without-frying-too-much, karela as a semi-dry curry cooked with onions and tomatoes, karela with mustard paste (a double-whammy in the strong flavour department).


While karela pitla (South Indian style) is probably not as scary as it used to be, or even as full-on as karela-with-mustard-paste, I still had to see if I'd like it - just to drive away the last of the childhood fear and hatred of the karela's bitter flavour. And, of course, I passed the test with flying colours, practically inhaling the pitla which my mother made a day or two before she left Shrewsbury.

The only karela-based item that I know I won't like is karela juice. Where that is concerned, I think I'm as blinkered as I ever was, with just one standard reaction: "No way Felipe." (Jose wasn't available.) 

Recipe for
: Bittergourd/karela/pavakkai pitla

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Ingredients:

2 medium karela/bittergourd/pavakkai, sliced into rounds
1 cup masoor dal, cooked
1 tbsp tamarind paste
3 tsp gingelly oil (or any neutral cooking oil)
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp sambar powder
2 tbsp finely grated coconut
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tbsp rice flour
Salt to taste
a few fresh curry leaves, torn up
3-4 cups water

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the asafoetida powder, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
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Cover and let the seeds pop, then add the grated coconut. Photobucket
Fry on medium heat till the coconut is light brown and aromatic. Photobucket
Remove from heat and set aside till required.
2. Put about a cupful of water in a pan along with the karela/bittergourd/pavakkai and turmeric powder. Photobucket
Let it cook till it becomes soft.
3. Dissolve the tamarind paste in 2 cup water and add it to the cooked karela/bittergourd/pavakkai.
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4. Bring this to a boil, then add the sambar powder and rice powder and stir till well mixed.
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5. Stir in the cooked masoor dal Photobucket
6. Add salt to taste along with the roasted coconut and mix in. Photobucket
7. Boil the pitla for a few minutes longer till it thickens. Photobucket
Serve hot with rice. Photobucket

RECIPE: BITTERGOURD/KARELA/PAVAKKAI PITLA


Ingredients:

2 medium karela/bittergourd/pavakkai, sliced into rounds
1 tbsp tamarind paste
3 tsp gingelly oil (or any neutral cooking oil)
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp sambar powder
2 tbsp finely grated coconut
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tbsp rice flour
Salt to taste
a few fresh curry leaves, torn up
3-4 cups water

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the asafoetida powder, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Cover and let the seeds pop, then add the grated coconut. Fry on medium heat till the coconut is light brown and aromatic. Remove from heat and set aside till required.
2. Put about a cupful of water in a pan along with the karela/bittergourd/pavakkai and turmeric powder. Let it cook till it becomes soft.
3. Dissolve the tamarind paste in 2 cup water and add it to the cooked karela/bittergourd/pavakkai.
4. Bring this to a boil, then add the sambar powder and rice powder and stir till well mixed.
5. Stir in the cooked masoor dal.
6. Add salt to taste along with the roasted coconut and mix in.
7. Boil the pitla for a couple of minutes longer. Serve hot with rice.

3 comments:

Inji said...

Ha ha I think of them as rats too! It makes it easier to buy them when I imagine them to be cute little rats(I know that sounds weird). Strangely, the only form of pavakkai that I like is the pitla. No curry/stuffed sabzi for me.

Reva said...

I love pavakkai.. the bitter the better! But my mom can't stand it - so we make pitlai with come carrots. Just chop one big or two small ones and cook it along with the pavakkai. You'll be surprised!

Anonymous said...

Tried this yesterday- it was fabulous. Initially thought tamarind might be too much but went with the recipe and it was just perfect. Thanks.