Sandhya's Kitchen

Food & Photography

Bitter Gourd Pickle |Pavakai Thokku

Bringing one more recipe straight from my Granny inventions… yup u read it right .. Bitter Gourd Pickle.. But how does it taste?? Bitter , Sour ?? Guys its Sweet,Hot,Tangy and just yummy…
Let me tell u a little instance what inspired me to make this lovely pickle…
Way back during my India trip , I was looking for a pickle to go for Curd Rice. My mum prompted me to get a little pickle bottle from the fridge and asked me to try it.. I tried a bit and said ..yumm mango pickle…. Later she said.. with a big smile 🙂 Tis Bitter gourd pickle..!!

Am sure u will enjooy it… ! It goes well with just plain rice , curd rice or dosa / idli… anything:)

Total Time : 50 min – 1 hr

INGREDIENTS:

Bitter Gourd ( Pavakai) Medium sized 3 Nos
Tamarind Cricket ball sized
Jaggery Same quantity as the tamarind
Salt  2 Tsp
Turmeric 1.5 Tsp
Chilli Powder 3 Tsp
Sesame oil/Gingelly Oil 4-5 Laddles

For Tempering:

Chana Dal /Kadala Parup  1/2 Tsp
Mustard Seeds 1/2 Tsp
Methi Seeds /Mendiyam 1/2 Tsp

For Powder :

Chana Dal /Kadala Parup 1 Tsp
 Dried Red Chilli/Molaga vettal 2 Nos
Coriander seeds 1 Tsp
Cumin Seeds  1/2 Tsp
Urd Dal/Ultam Parup 1/2 Tsp

DIRECTIONS:

  • Chop Bitter gourd into small pieces and steam it in cooker with a bit of salt and 1/2 tsp Turmeric for 1 whistle. Turn of the gas and keep it aside.
  • Soak Tamarind in 150-175 ml of warm water and keep it aside.Now put it in the blender to get a tangy puree. Pass it thro the frying spatula’s sieve to remove any seeds or strings left over from the tamarind.
  • Heat oil in a deep bottom pan and add all the tempering ingredients.Once Mustard Seeds Splutter , add the collected tamarind puree and jaggery.( Remember to break the jaggery into small pieces before adding it. This will speedy up the process.)
  • Once all the jaggery is melted and blended into the tamarind puree ,add the cooked bittergourd pieces.
  • Add chilli powder , remaining turmeric powder & salt along with 1.5 cups of water.
  • Cook the whole mixture in a low flame until we get a jelly like consistency.Stir in regular intervals inorder to avoid catching at the bottom of the pan.Turn of the gas and keep it aside to cool down.
  • Saute all the ingredients under powder until light brown and grind them to rava size. Add this powder to the Mixture prepared above and stir it well.
  • Transfer this pickle to an airtight container and keep it refrigerated . We can retain it as long as the pickle lasts. I bet you won’t keep it for long 🙂

KITCHEN NOTES:

Use just Sesame Oil. I have used Idhayam’s . Patty ( Granny ) had made a special mention to use this oil.
Urd dal in the powder ingredients leaves a lovely aroma to the pickle.

Cheers

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Comments

  11. Dear sandhya
    How are you? Such a nice recipe ..I cant imagine this can be made…and Karela in all form is my favourite…I will trell some one to make it
    Have a nice weekend

    Reply

  30. Hii Sandhya.. i found your blog thru another blogger..woww yaar.. i dont knwo have enough words to say what awesome blog u got.. :)… nice to know u and ur recipes and definitely following u :).. do visit my blog too when u get time 🙂 http://neetzkitchen.blogspot.com/

    I would love u to share ur thoughts and comments on mine :)..

    Luv
    Neethu

    Reply

  43. Hi sandhya,how r u doing?sorry couldnt visit your lovely blog from few days,but will surely come here on…pics of pickle is really tempting and a unique one in pickles, never heard bittergourd being used in it,very interesting one…have a great weekend,do keep in touch…take care

    Reply

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