Pagarkai Pitlai ( Bitter gourd Pitlai)

Pagarkai Pitlai

Ingredients

1. Pagarkai (bitter gourd ) medium size 4 
2. Tamarind Juice 3 cups
3. Red chilli ( lengthy variety) 4 to 5
4. Channa dhal 3 tea spoon
5. Urad dhal 2 tea spoon
6. Hing 1 pinch
7. Grated Coconut - 2 to 3 table spoon
8. Boiled Thoor dhal 1 cup
9. Dhania Powder 3 tea spoon 
10. sesame oil or Olive oil 2 table spoon

Prepare Pitlai

• Heat 2 quart saue pan with 1 table spoon sesame oil 
• Add 2 tea spoons of channa dhal fry till golden brown
• Add pagarkai ( Bitter gourd ) Saute  for 2 mins in sesame oil 

• Pour tamarind juice wait for 5 mins or till the pagarkai is tender 
• add salt to taste
• mix the spice powder, wait for it to boil for 3 mins

• Once the veggie is boiled \cooked fully
• Mix the boiled thoor dhal mix and wait  for 3 mins

• Mix the coconut paste and wait for 3 mins
• switch off the pan
• Garnish with tadka ( mustard seeds and curry leaves in hot coconut oil or sesame oil or olive oil)

Prepare Spice mix 

for the Sambhar powder mix, you can use if you already have , or you can prepare as mentioned below

• Fry Red Chiili , channa dhal and Dhania powder in oil till golden brown keep it aside to cool down
• grind to make a powder

Grated Coconut Mix

• Fry Urad dhal  Coconut and Hing in oil  till golden brown keep it aside to cool down

1. Grind to make a paste 

alternate method  for the first 5 steps mentioned above 
Boil the mixture of Pagarkkai, spice powder, salt  and tamarind juice in a pressure cooker.( 2 whistles if its Indian pressure cooker, if its american pressure cooker which doesn't whistle, after the weight starts to move due to pressure, wait for 7 mins) .

1. once the cooker steam is released add boiled toor dhal and wait for 3-5 mins
2. add the coconut mixture and wait for 3-5 mins 
3. then garnish with tadka as mentioned above