Ingredients:

Bitter Gourds 1/4 kilo
Thoor dal 2-4 fistful
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:

Cook thoor/thuvar dal in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles/till soft. Set aside.

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 half the way done.

Now add the toasted and wet-ground paste to it. Fry for a while…till the raw odour leaves the pan.

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

Add cooked thoor dal and bring this to boil.

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 along with plain steamed rice.