Ingredients
Bitter gourd / Pavakka – 2 medium
Rice flour – 2 tbsp
Salt – as needed
Oil for frying
Kashmiri chili powder – 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
Asafoetida – ¼ teaspoon
Tamarind – a lemon sized ball
Jaggery – Optional
FOR TEMPERING
Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
Urad dal – 1 teaspoon
Dry red chili, broken – 3
Curry leaves – as needed
Instruction
Wash and chop bitter gourd into 1 inch piece. Marinate bitter gourd pieces with rice flour and salt.
Soak tamarind in ½ cup of water. Squeeze the tamarind extract and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Fry marinated bitter gourd without crowding the pan. Set this aside.
Now add 2 cups of water to already squeezed tamarind extract. Add Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric powder, and asafoteida. Switch on the stove. Allow it to boil.
When it starts boiling, add fried bitter gourd to this. Allow it to boil. Add jaggery if you like it as it imparts a nice flavor.
Those who like sweet and sour taste particularly likes the addition of jaggery. If you are not fond of sweetness, then you can fully omit this.
Switch off the stove and proceed with tempering.
Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal, red chili, and curry leaves.
Now pour this on to the curry. Bitter gourd in tamarind gravy is ready.
A curry with nadan flavours!!