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 enjoy 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 | ½ Tsp |
| Mustard Seeds | ½ Tsp |
| Methi Seeds /Mendiyam | ½ Tsp |
For Powder :
| Chana Dal /Kadala Parup | 1 Tsp |
| Dried Red Chilli/Molaga vettal | 2 Nos |
| Coriander seeds | 1 Tsp |
| Cumin Seeds | ½ Tsp |
| Urd Dal/Ultam Parup | ½ Tsp |
DIRECTIONS:
- Chop Bitter gourd into small pieces and steam it in cooker with a bit of salt and ½ teaspoon 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
Meena says
following you on google reader to keep track of ur beautiful food creations:)))
thnx for visiting my space, my friend!
Pete says
A good way to suppress the bitterness, thks for the recipe!
Sushma Mallya says
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
RAKS KITCHEN says
The first picture is a killer,very tempting! I am not a big fan of BG except in pickled form,i recently started liking in this way 🙂
RAKS KITCHEN says
The first picture is really a killer,looks very tempting,I am not big fan of BG except in pickled forms,i recently started liking in this form 😉
Priya says
I love this pickles, looks awesome Sandhya...but never tried making out yet at home, thanks for sharing dear.
FoodLovers says
Nice one Sandhya mouth watering pickle dear..
Looks delicious ..
Hey Hosting a Give Away if ur Intrested pls STop by
Ushnish Ghosh says
Dear sandhya
How are you?
remember , you wanted to know that simple bengali potato curry recipe? I will send you someday , in the mean time try this one from our blog friend Didibhai'w kitchen. I am sure it will be close to your calcutta exp
http://gouriguhas.blogspot.com/2010/03/robibarer-porota-aar-aloo-tarkarir.html
have a nice weekend
Malar Gandhi says
Looks wonderful...very interesting recipe, picture looks awesome:)
Jessica {The Novice Chef} says
I just came across your blog and I am so glad I did! This looks fabulous!
Viki's Kitchen says
Thokku with pavakkai looks so tempting dear. Sure its healthy too. Very cute snap..
Hari Chandana says
Wow.... My fav recipe.. looks very delicious.. First time here.. wonderful blog.. 🙂
Aparna says
tempting pickle, u put jaggery also..interesting..
Nisha says
Wow , i want to try this one . My mom makes a awesome pavaka curry somewhat like this but it does not have a long shelf life.
Parita says
Never knew we could make pickle from bittergourd..sounds very flavorful!