Pavakka Theeyal

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5 from 3 votes

A spicy and delicious curry made with bitter gourd and roasted ground coconut

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: kerala, south Indian

Servings: people

Calories: 93kcal

Author: Nisha

Ingredients

3 bitter gourd medium sized cut into small strips
3-4 pearl onions chopped
2 tbsp tamarind juice squeezed from lemon sized ball
1 inch ginger finely cut
1 tsp red chili powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
4 green chillies Thai Add more if required
1 tsp salt
1 sprig curry leaves

To Grind Roast

2 cups coconut freshly grated or frozen thawed
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
3 pearl onion cut into small pieces
4 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder

Tempering

1 tsp mustard
2 pearl onion chopped finely
3 red chilies dry (optional)

Instructions

In a deep bottomed pan, boil water with the extract of tamarind juice squeezed.
Add ginger, green chilies, turmeric, red chilly powder and the cut bitter gourd pieces into it.
Cook for about 10 to 12 mins or until the bitter gourd is almost cooked .
In a pan ,dry roast the contents mentioned in the "to grind roast" until the coconut gets browned but not burnt.
Cool the contents and grind in a mixer with very less water into a fine paste.
Add the ground coconut, curry leaves to the cooked bitter gourd and bring it to a boil.
It should get a nice brown color.
In a small pan heat up some oil and add mustard seeds .Add red chilies and curry leaves
Pour this tempered oil into the curry and mix well.
Serve this dish with rice or roti.

Video

Notes

Remove seeds and fibers completely: When preparing the bitter gourd, be sure to scoop out all the seeds and inner fibers. This helps significantly reduce excess bitterness.

Choose the right bitter gourd: For this recipe, Indian bitter gourd works best, look for the variety with dark green skin and small spikes, known for its robust flavor and characteristic bitterness.

Extract tamarind properly: Use warm (medium-hot) water to squeeze out the tamarind pulp. This helps release the flavors more effectively and ensures a smooth extract.

Enhance the tempering: If you prefer a more aromatic tempering, you can add dry red chilies and curry leaves along with the mustard seeds and pearl onions.

Nutrition