Peerkangai Masiyal ( Ridge Gourd)

Ingredients

1. Peerkangai Medium size 3- 4
2. Green Chili  medium length 4
3. Red Chilli whole 4
4. Ginger 2 inch piece cleaned and Cut
5. Curry leaves
6. Hing 1/2 tea spoon
7. Channa Dhal - 2 table spoon
8. Grated coconut 1/2 cup
9. Tamraind Juice 3 cups
10. Mustard seeds
11. oil 1 table spoon
12. boiled thoor dhar 1/2 cup

Prepare the Channa Dhal And Coconut Paste

In a small frying pan heat 1 tea spoon of oil
fry 1 table spoon of channa dhal to golden brown and add 1/2 cup grated coconut and fry till golden brown
allow it to cool down and grind it to a fine paste

Peel and Cut Ridge Gourd

 

Cooking

1. In a 3 quart sauce pan heat oil
2. allow mustard seeds to splutter
3. add 1 table spoon of channa dhal
4. add Ginger, cut green chilli and whole red chilli ( red chilli need not be cut)

1. Add 1/2 tea spoon hing
2. Add curry leaves
3. Add the cut peerkangai

1. Allow it to soften
2. pour the tamarind juice and salt to taste
3. Allow the flavor to come out
4. Pour boiled thoor dhal

1. After 3 minutes, add the ground paste of channa dhal and Coconut

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