Bitter Gourd Curry

Posted 2014-05-26 by Radhika ⇒ follow

‘’ is a healthy South Indian dish, rich in vitamins, mineral and iron content, and aids to enhance the immune system of the body. The dish is also low in calories and high in the fiber content, and is quite useful for diabetic patients. The dish not only goes well with chapatti or roti, but also tastes great as a side dish for steamed rice.

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Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25-30 minutes
Makes: 7-8 servings

Ingredients
4-5 bitter gourds

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1/2 cup pigeon pea ( toor daal)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp shredded coconut
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
4-5 red chillies
1 tsp black gram (Urad daal)
1 tsp bengal gram (Chana dal)
1 tsp mustard seeds

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2 tsp ghee
1 pinch asafetida
Tamarind (lemon sized)

Method

Preparation of paste

Roast the coriander seeds, shredded coconut, fenugreek seeds, red chillies, black gram (Urad daal), bengal gram (Chana dal) on a pan, over a medium flame.

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Let it cool for 4-5 minutes.

Once it cools down slightly, add around ¼ cup of water and grind them it, to make a fine paste.

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Preparation of bitter gourd curry

Soak a tamarind (of the size of a lemon) in hot water, for about 10 minutes. Once it is fully soaked, squeeze and extract the tamarind juice out of it.

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In the meantime, cook the pigeon pea (toor daal) in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle, and keep it aside.

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Chop the bitter gourd and remove the seeds from inside. You may use the seeds, if they are tender. Add little salt and turmeric to it and pressure cook it, again for 1 whistle.

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Heat 1-2 tsp of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and asafetida. Once the mustard seeds begin to crack, add tamarind water and transfer the bitter gourd to it. Let the ingredients to cook for 5 minutes.

Now add the paste (mentioned above) to the ingredients, and let it boil for 7-10 minutes.

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When the mixture gets a little thick in texture, add the cooked pigeon pea to it and stir well.

Remove the dish from the gas, garnish it with the coriander leaves and relish it hot with the steamed rice or with chapattis.