Bittergourd/Pavakka Kichadi

        My husband who is very choosy when it comes to eating vegetables, loves bitter gourd. I know there are so many people out there like him who have got a liking for this bitter vegetable. Others with strong dislike,kindly try this recipe as kichadi is one of the easiest and tastiest of all bittergourd recipes.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

  1.  Bitter gourd - 5-6 small chopped fine (I chopped them in a food processor.  You can squeeze out the extra moisture if you want to reduce the bitterness of pavakka since the ones available in USA are very bitter)

 

  2.  Green chillies - 4 chopped fine

  3.  Curry leaves - 1 sprig

  4.  Salt - To taste

  5.  Yoghurt - 1/2 cup

    To temper

  6.  Coconut oil - 1 tsp

  7.  Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

  8.  Dry red chillies - 2

  9.  Curry leaves - Few

 

Method

1.  Heat some oil in pan and add the chopped bitter gourd/pavakka, few curry leaves, green chillies and salt.  Saute till brown, take care not to burn it. When it is slightly cooled, stir in yoghurt and mix well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  In another pan heat some oil and splutter the mustard seeds.  Add dry red chillies and curry leaves. Saute for a minute and pour this over the pavakka-yoghurt mixture and mix well.  Serve with rice.

Tips:

1. In our place we usually add only yoghurt but you can also add ground coconut-cumin(grated coconut - 1/2 cup and cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp) mixture to kichadi. Grind the grated coconut and cumin seeds in a mixer adding very little water and add it to the fried bitter gourd. Cook for a few minutes. Switch off. When it is slightly cooled add yoghurt and mix well. Temper with mustards, dry red chillies and a few curry leaves.

2.  You can also deep-fry sliced pavakka for kichadi instead of chopping it finely.