Pavakkai Pitlai (பாவைக்காய் பிட்லை)

Pavakkai Pitlai is a type of Sambar. Pavakkai is Bitter gourd and is one of the healthy vegetables out there. This recipe tastes best when served hot with rice.


Ingredients
Pavakkai / Bitter gourd – 3 or 4
Sambar Powder – 5 tea spoon (Lesser than for normal sambar)
Tuvaram Parupu – Boiled 1/2 cup (Lesser than for normal sambar)
Kadalai Parupu – 2 tea spoons
Coriander Seeds – 1 tea spoon
Red chili - 4
Black pepper Powder – 1/2 tea spoon
Coconut – 1/2 cup (more than normal sambar)
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tea spoon
Sesame oil – 2-3 table spoon
Ghee – 1 tea spoon
Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tea spoon
Fenugreek Seeds – 1/4 tea spoon
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tea spoon
Asafetida – A pinch
Tamarind paste made a lemon sized tamarind
Garbanzo beans or groundnut – Soaked and boiled. – 1 cup
Salt – 5 tea spoon (adjust to taste)
Jaggery – 1/2 – 3/4 tea spoon
Curry Leaves - 10

Method
Boil the Pavakkai with salt and turmeric and drain the water to remove some of the bitter taste.
Also remove the seeds to remove the bitter taste
Heat pan and add the tamarind water and turmeric powder, asafetida, salt and then once it boils add the pavakkai
Add the groundnut or garbanzo beans
Add sambar powder and allow it to boil for 3-4 minutes.
Mash the boiled tuvaram parupu and add it
Fry the sambar ingredients (kadalai parupu, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and red chili) and grind along with little sautéed coconut
Add this to the Pitlai
Add little Jaggery
Tamper with mustard seeds, curry leaves, ghee and oil
Remove from heat and it is ready to serve.