Pavakkai Pitlai | Bitter Gourd Pitla Recipe
Pavakkai Pitlai is a flavorful South Indian delicacy with bitter gourd, lentils, and aromatic spices. A perfect balance of tangy and spicy flavours in this traditional dish.
Ingredients
- 2 Bitter Gourd/ Pavakkai Medium
- 1/2 cup Toor Dal
- 1/4 cup Brown Chana
- Salt as needed
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- Tamarind small lemon size
- Jaggery a pinch
For the spice powder
- 1 tsp Oil
- 1/2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
- 2 tsp Chana Dal
- 5 Red Chillies
- 1/2 cup Grated Coconut
For Tempering
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- Asafoetida a pinch
- Curry Leaves few
Instructions
To prepare
- Wash and soak black chickpeas in enough water overnight or for at least 6-8 hours. Drain the soaked water and add fresh water to the chickpeas. Pressure cook the black chickpeas for 4 whistles. Once cooked, remove any excess water and keep the chickpeas aside.
- Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of warm water. After a few minutes, extract the tamarind juice and set this aside.
- Wash the bitter gourd and chop them into thin slices. Take out the seed from the Bitter Gourd and discard the seeds.
- Add toor dal, asafoetida, and turmeric powder to a vessel. Cover with water. Pressure cook for 4 or 5 whistles until the dal is well cooked. Mash the cooked dal and set it aside.
Spice Powder
- In a pan, add a tsp of oil. Once hot, add coriander seeds, chana dal, and red chillies. Fry on medium flame till golden brown. Finally, add grated coconut. Saute for a minute and switch off.
- Once it cools down to room temperature, grind the above ingredients to a powder.
To make the pitlai
- In a pan, add a tsp of sesame oil. Once hot, add mustard seeds, and asafoetida. Add curry leaves once mustard seeds splutter. Saute for 30 seconds.
- Add sliced bitter gourd to the pan. Add turmeric powder, salt and saute the bitter gourd. Add a little water, close and cook bitter gourd till soft.
- Add tamarind extract and let it boil for a while till the raw smell goes away. Add the spice powder, cooked chickpeas, and a pinch of jaggery and let it cook well for a few more minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add mashed dal to the cooked pavakkai tamarind mixture.
- Check for salt. Adjust the consistency by adding water if needed. Give a good stir. Bring it to boil and switch off the flame.
- Serve the delicious pavakkai pitlai with hot, steaming rice and your choice of side dish.
Notes
I usually soak toor dal for 15 minutes in warm water, and then pressure cook. This helps in cooking faster and also helps in getting a mushy dal. I have also read it helps in better digestion of dal.
The consistency of the bitter gourd pitlai should be slightly thick.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!