Pagarkkai Curry

                   My husband loves pagarkkai / bitter gourd a lot.Whenever he shops for veggies, I can count on him to pick Pagarkkai. I love pagarkkai too but not as much as him. I started to adapt it to my taste. I make this curry with it which has so many different tastes with minimum of spices. The best thing about the curry is the final dish comes out shiny and dark, looks delicious.          

Pagarkkai Curry

Ingredients:

Pagarkkai / bittergourd    3

turmeric powder  1/2tsp

tamarind paste     1 tsp

red chilli powder  1/2 tsp

sambhar powder   1 tsp

powder jaggery / vellam   2 tsps

mustard seeds   1 tsp

urad dal / ulutham paruppu  2tsps

asafoetida  a pinch

oil 3tsp

salt to taste

Method

1. Cut the pagarkkai lengthwise into half. Remove the pulp and seeds. Cut the rest into tiny cubes.

2. Smear the pagarkkai with tamarind paste and turmeric powder .Set aside.

3.In a saute pan, heat a little oil and add the mustard seeds.When the mustard seeds sputter, add urad dal and  let it turn red.

4.Add the cut pagarkkai, saute a little then add the rest of the spice powders except jaggery.

5.Let it cook with lid on and heat simmered down.

5.When cooked add salt and stir.Add the jaggery and saute for a few seconds. Jaggery will give a sheen to the curry and also complement the bitterness.

      This curry tastes sweet for a second,then bitter, sour ,spicy hot and savory too. Thats something to achieve in one curry. Serve with rice or chapati. Susvaad.