Go Back
–+ servings
Pavakkai pitlai
Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Pavakkai Pitlai recipe

Bitter gourd cooked in a tamarind based gravy and freshly ground spices
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Soaking time7 hours
Total Time7 hours 45 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, South Indian
Keyword: South indian gravy, South Indian sambar
Servings: 5
Author: Jeyashri suresh

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup Uncooked Toor dal
  • ¼ cup kala chana or kabuli chana
  • 2 small bitter gourd
  • A small lemon sized tamarind
  • 1and 1/2 cup water to get tamarind extract
  • 2 tsp oil
  • Mustard seeds
  • Few curry leaves
  • 3 tsp sambar powder
  • Salt as needed
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • Asafoetida 2 pinches
  • Water as needed

To roast and grind

  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds | dhaniya
  • 3 red chili
  • 1 tbsp chana dal
  • 1 tsp urad dal
  • 2-3 tbsp grated coconut
  • 1 tsp oil

Instructions

  • Pressure cook the toor dal with 1 and 1/4 cup water.
  • Add ¼ tsp turmeric powder while cooking the dal.
  • Soak the chana overnight or for 6-7 hours.
  • Cut the bittergourd into roundels.
  • Pressure cook this soaked chana for 4 whistles. Add ¾ cup water and little salt while cooking this.
  • In a pan add 1 tsp oil and roast the coriander seeds, red chili, urad dal and chana dal.
  • Roast till the dal turns golden brown.
  • Switch off the flame and add the coconut.
  • Cool and grind this into a fine paste. You can add water while grinding this.
  • In a vessel add the tamarind extract, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt and asafoetida.
  • Let this boil for 7 minutes.
  • Now add the cooked chana, toor dal and ground paste.
  • Mix well and add 1/2 cup 1 cup water to adjust the consistency.
  • Let this boil for 3-4 minutes. Stir in between.
  • Switch off the flame.
  • In a pan add 2 tsp of oil (preferably coconut) and add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
  • Once the mustard splutters add this to the pitlai.
  • Pavakkai pitlai is ready.

Notes

1. Instead of pressure cooking the bitter gourd, you can cut them and add them while boiling the tamarind extract mixture.
2. Instead of chana you can add boiled peanuts also to the Pavakkai pitlai.
3. Pavakkai pitlai won’t taste bitter. The tamarind gravy nullifies the bitterness