Pavakkai Puli Kulambu/Bitter Gourd Tamarind Curry

This is only for those who love to taste that bitterness in Pavakka/Bitter Gourd. Others may step out as i know most of us don't go near this vegetable. It is a vegetable which is low in calories and dense with nutrients. Scroll down and read "tips and variations" section before handling pavakka recipes. The taste of this curry depends on how you handle the vegetable. For puli kulambu lovers you can also try Brinjal Puli Kulambu. 

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd/Pavakka	1(medium)
Small Onion/Shallots	10
Garlic	5 cloves
Tomato	1
Tamarind	1 small lemon size
Salt	to taste
Chilly Powder	1&1/2 tspoon
Coriander Powder	2 tspoon
Sambar Powder	2 tspoon
Asafoetida Powder	2 pinch
Sesame Oil	1 tbl spoon
Jaggery(optional)	1 tspoon

For Grinding:

Coconut	1/4 cup
Small onion	2
Cumin seed	1/2 tspoon

To temper:

Oil	1 tspoon
Mustard	1/2 tsspoon
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Fenugreek seed	1/2 tspoon

Preparation:

(1) Chop bitter gourd to thin round slices(you can remove seeds and soak in salt water to reduce the bitterness, i didn't removed the seeds). Peel the skin of onion and garlic. Chop garlic and tomato to cubes. Keep it aside.

(2) Also soak tamarind in hot water and make 2&1/2 cup of tamarind water out of it by extracting the juice. Add needed salt to it. Grind the ingredients shown under heading "for grinding" in a mixer and make a fine paste by adding little water. Keep both aside.

(3) Mean while heat oil in a pan and temper with the ingredients shown under heading "to temper" . Add garlic, saute once. Now add onion and tomato pieces and saute for another 1 minute. To this add pavakka pieces with little salt and saute for another 5 to 8 minutes in medium flame till the pieces are almost cooked. 

(4) Once it is cooked add chillypowder, coriander powder and sambar powder and give a quick stir so that the raw smell will leave.

(5) Immediately pour the prepared tamarind juice to it and let it boil. Add the ground paste to it. Mix well and make a salt here. Let it boil in low to medium flame till it reaches the "kulambu" consistency. Add asafoetida powder and jaggery(i didn't used) in the last minute. Your pavakka kulambu is now ready.

Have it with rice and even with dosa or idly..

Tips and variations:

• To reduce the bitterness select bitter gourd which are less green in color and with less thornes.
• Soaking the pieces in salt water will reduce the bitterness,
• Always saute the pieces in oil till it is cooked before boiling in water. This helps to reduce the bitter taste.
• Grinding coconut is optional. If you want to avoid skip it.
• For all types of puli kulambu reduce the water level to the ratio 3:1.
• Adding jaggery gives an extra taste.
• You can also add deep fried pavakka slices.