Bitter Gourd Pitlai.

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourds 1/4 kilo
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Jaggery 1 small gooseberry size
Tamarind paste 1/4 spoon
Coconut oil few spoons.

To be Toasted and Wet-Ground to Thick Paste:

Dry red chilies 6
Chana dal 1-2 spoons
Urad dal 1-2 spoons
Peppecorns 1-2 spoons
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Coriander seeds 1-2 spoons
Coconut fresh/frozed 4 spoons

For Sesonning:

Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Coconut oil few spoons.

Method:

Heat oil in a shallow pan. Stir-in sliced bitter gourds, salt, turemeric, chili, jaggery and tamarind paste to it.

Cover and cook till they are tender. Now add the toasted and wet-ground paste to it.

Cook over medium heat without cover, maybe till the oil shows up on sides and the veggie becomes dry and aromatic.

In a seperate pan, heat oil. Add the sesonning items one by one and wait till it crackles. Now run this sesonning over the dry pitlai made above.

Serve warm as a side dish to South Indian Meals.