Pavakka Curry/ Biitergourd with Yogurt

I am hoping to entice the guests at the Weekend Herb Blogging, the event created by Kalyn's Kitchen, to go beyond the norm and try South Indian food. This week of WHB is hosted by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast.
Bitter gourds are very popular in Asia and most people either like it immensely or dislike it unreasonably. As you can see, I fall into the former category, hoarding bitter gourd recipes in every form and taste. Bitter gourd or bitter melon is highly regarded for its medicinal properties in Asia but is slow in getting recognition in the Western World.
This curry made with bitter gourd, yogurt and coconut milk tastes best with rice with a stir fried vegetable and fried fish on the side.
You will need:
Bitter gourd- 2 big ones.
Green Chilies- 5 vertically slit
Tomato- 1 small one cut into 4 pieces
Onion- 1 small one sliced
Red chili powder-3/4 tsp
Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder(Dhania)-1tsp
Coconut Milk Powder- 5 tbsp mixed with 1 cup water (or 1 cup coconut milk)
Yogurt- 1cup
Salt to taste
Oil- 2 tbsp
For seasoning:
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Cumin (Jeera)-1tsp
Curry leaves- 1 sprig
Canola oil-1 tbsp
Preparation:
1. Scrape the outer projections on the bittegourd and slice the bitter gourd into thin rounds. Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp yogurt and let it sweat for 10 minutes. Squeeze the pieces and wash them well to remove extra salt and the bitterness. If you like the bitterness, skip this step. If you are using Chinese bittter gourd or bitter melon, which is light green and bulbous in shape, it is not as bitter so you can directly fry it.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil and shallow fry the bitter gourd rounds on medium heat till slightly crisp. Not very crisp. Then add the onions and green chilies and sauté for a couple of minutes.
3. Lower the heat and add the chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric and 1 tablespoon water. Fry for a while till the powders get cooked and then add the tomato and salt. Cook for a minute and add ½ cup water and 1 cup coconut milk. If the coconut milk is thin, then reduce the quantity of water. Vary the quantity of chili powder and green chilies as per taste. My recipes tend to be on the slightly spicier side, so be warned.
4. Check the salt and liquidity of the curry and add more salt and water if needed. Take it off the flame and do not let it come to a full boil. After it cools down, add 1 cup beaten yogurt.
5. Tempering: Heat the oil in a small wok/pan and as it heats up, add mustard seeds and cover till it tops sputtering.Reduce the heat and add the curry leaves and cumin. Pour the flavored oil over the curry.
Serve with hot steamed white rice.

Pavakka Puliyinji/ Bittergourd Sweet and Sour Chutney

Everybody has their own version and name for Puliyinji. Known also as Pulinji or Inji Curry, it is essential to an onam sadya. The sweet and sour chutney made of tamarind and ginger is relished with any kind of rice.
After the farm visit, I had a bunch of bittergourds(Pavakka)that I had enthusiastically picked. Though I like biitergourd in almost every form, whether fried or made into a curry, the most unusual preparation I know is pavakka puliyinji. Puliyinji is familiar to most Indian bloggers, but have you tried it with bittergourd? It adds one more dimension to the puliyinji as its bitterness is tamed with the sweetness of the jaggery and the sourness of the tamarind.
The recipe below is an approximation only. This is one dish which should be customised to individual taste preferences by changing the quantity of chili powder, jaggery and tamarind. This recipe has its origins in my friend Mini's house.



You will need:
Bittergourd-1
Tamarind -1lemon size ball
Jaggery -1/4 cup concentrated
Ginger- 1 inch long piece
Green chilies-4
Red chili powder-1/4 tsp
Turmeric- 1/8 tsp
Curry leaves- 1 sprigs
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
Red chili whole-2 Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Canola Oil- 2 tbsp
Preparation:
1. Soak the tamarind ball in ½ cup water and warm it in the microwave for a minute. Blend the tamarind and extract the liquid without seeds and keep aside.
2. Dissolve 4-5 jaggery pieces in ½ cup hot water and strain the liquid. The liquid should not be too watery. How much jaggery depends on how sweet the available one is. Wash, cut and remove the seeds from the bitter gourd. Dice into very small pieces. Chop the ginger and green chilies into small pieces. Tear the dried red chili into pieces.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or cast iron pan. When it is slightly hot, add the mustard seeds and cover. When the seeds stop spluttering, add the red chili pieces and curry leaves. Then add the chopped bitter gourd, ginger and green chilies. Sauté for 4-5 minutes and add the red chili powder, turmeric, salt, tamarind extract and let it cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the jaggery and let it simmer fro another 10 minutes or till the whole mixture thickens. Turn off the flame. The chutney should be thick.
Add more of chili powder or tamarind if needed.
4. Meanwhile, in a cast iron skillet, dry roast the fenugreek seeds, stirring all the while, till the aroma comes out. Transfer to a grinder and dry grind finely.
5. Add the fenugreek powder to the puliyinji and mix thoroughly. This stays in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.
South Inidan Chutneys, Malabar Recipes, Meat Samosas,Bittergourd Recipes

Guess The Flower? Bittergourd/Pavakka/Kaipaka