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Bitter Gourd/Pavakka Theeyal



Bitter Gourd/Pavakka Theeyal

Pavakka/bitter gourd theeyal is a traditional Kerala recipe. Bitter gourd is cooked in a tangy and spicy gravy. The aroma of theeyal comes from roasted coconut and spices.In addition to bitter gourd this recipe needs a generous amount of pearl onions. Together it forms a delicious combination and the bitterness of  the pavakka will get reduced. It is a perfect accompaniment with rice.

Ingrdients
Pavakka/bitter gourd thinly sliced- 3 cup
Pearl onion or shallots sliced- 2 cups
Sliced ginger- 2 inch thick
Slit green chilly-2
Curry leaves - a few
Tamarind-1/3 cup (pulp)
Sugar- 1/2 tsp
mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

To roast and grind
Coconut grated- 1 cup
Dry red chilly-8
( add according to your tolerance)
Coriander seeds- 3 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- 1 spring


Cut bitter gourd into thin slices. Add salt and a pinch of turmeric and mix well. Heat three to four tsp of oil in a pan and add this. Saute this till it is cooked and and fried to slight brown . No need to make it crisp.Keep this aside.

In a separate pan dry roast all the ingredients listed under 'to roast'. Roast in medium flame and stirring continuously till the coconut is dark brown. Make this into a fine paste and keep aside.
Note: this is an important step. Roast in low medium flame till the coconut is evenly brown.This is will impart flavor and color to the theeyal
Heat two tbs of oil  in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add shallots, ginger, green chilly and curry leaves and saute till the onions get almost fried and browned up.
Add the fried bitter gourd,tamarind pulp and one cup of water and salt.Cover and cook for four to five minutes. Finally add the fried coconut paste, adjust consistency( if it is too thick add a little water) and allow to simmer for one more minute in medium flame. Serve with rice.

 Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy.
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Comments

  1. Vineetha SushFebruary 7, 2012 at 6:33 AM

    yummy theeyal..Eventhough I hate pavakka i loved this theeyal one time when I had it from my cousis place :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AarthiFebruary 7, 2012 at 7:08 AM

      This sounds YUMMY..Bookmarked..

      Aarthi
      http://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/

      Delete
  2. SravsFebruary 7, 2012 at 7:46 AM

    wonderful theeyal !!

    Ongoing Event - CC-Dish For Loved Ones

    ReplyDelete
  3. FaseelaFebruary 7, 2012 at 8:19 AM

    awesome theeyal....superb

    ReplyDelete
  4. JulieFebruary 7, 2012 at 8:28 AM

    Adipoli theeyal,love this a lot!!

    Erivum Puliyum

    ReplyDelete
  5. NehaFebruary 7, 2012 at 9:00 AM

    Nice recipe...

    ReplyDelete
  6. ShriFebruary 7, 2012 at 9:23 AM

    It looks rich and inviting with rice.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Reshmi MaheshFebruary 7, 2012 at 9:30 AM

    Theeyal yummy aayittundu...

    ReplyDelete
  8. SujanaFebruary 7, 2012 at 10:38 AM

    This looks like something my parents would enjoy since they love bitter gourd!

    ReplyDelete
  9. PrathibhaSreejithFebruary 7, 2012 at 10:59 AM

    Yummilicious Theeyal, perfect with rice :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. vrindaFebruary 7, 2012 at 11:23 AM

    My all time fav theeyal..perfect color Suja...

    ReplyDelete
  11. www.mahaslovelyhome.comFebruary 7, 2012 at 12:06 PM

    delicious Theeyal, perfect one...tastes best with rice

    ReplyDelete
  12. SwathiFebruary 7, 2012 at 1:03 PM

    Theeyal adipoli aayitu undu. Ente favorite annu.

    ReplyDelete
  13. hotpotcookingFebruary 7, 2012 at 2:55 PM

    Tempting theeyal. Happy to follow you

    ReplyDelete
  14. Achu's Amma's KitchenFebruary 7, 2012 at 3:27 PM

    perfect theeyal...nice click

    ReplyDelete
  15. ShylajaFebruary 7, 2012 at 7:06 PM

    Theeyal looks delicious

    ReplyDelete
  16. cookingvarietiesFebruary 7, 2012 at 7:53 PM

    hi suja, deliciously prepared.. and highly nutritious bitter gourd. very inspiring to try your exotic spicy ingredients especially with the coconut. have a nice day dear

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnuFebruary 7, 2012 at 9:24 PM

    looks yummy..i love anything with bittergourd..

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sobha ShyamFebruary 7, 2012 at 10:09 PM

    i like pavakka theeyal though not a big fan of pavakka...looks delicious..



    Please be a part of the Just "4" Fun event.

    ReplyDelete
  19. @lekshmiFebruary 7, 2012 at 10:11 PM

    delicious pavakka theeyal!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. MélangeFebruary 7, 2012 at 10:32 PM

    I love theeyal.Get some pickle and fried fish...Oonu kushal!

    ReplyDelete
  21. MélangeFebruary 7, 2012 at 10:32 PM

    I love theeyal.Get some pickle and fried fish...Oonu kushal!

    ReplyDelete
  22. UnknownFebruary 7, 2012 at 10:51 PM

    Very yummy theeyal...

    ReplyDelete
  23. lubnakarim06February 8, 2012 at 2:16 AM

    Wow...that's an drool worthy recipe..perfect treat for a bitter gourd fan like me...

    ReplyDelete
  24. Kaveri VenkateshFebruary 8, 2012 at 2:17 AM

    Love Theeyal and this looks really yum!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Rinku NaveenFebruary 8, 2012 at 4:48 AM

    Pavakka theeyal ugran Suja.. Really miss having this veggie as no one likes it at home.

    ReplyDelete
  26. RamyaFebruary 8, 2012 at 6:24 AM

    yum..njan last week undakki...ur version is a bit different. will try this too

    ReplyDelete
  27. Amina CreationsFebruary 8, 2012 at 6:10 PM

    i am not a great fan of bitter gour but this surely looks delicious... would certainly give it a try...

    ReplyDelete
  28. www.mahaslovelyhome.comFebruary 8, 2012 at 6:45 PM

    bittergourd dish looks tasty and yum!

    ReplyDelete
  29. NishaFebruary 8, 2012 at 7:44 PM

    One of my fav.

    ReplyDelete
  30. RaksFebruary 8, 2012 at 8:19 PM

    Not a big fan of pavakkai, but the recipe even tempts me!

    ReplyDelete
  31. hemalataFebruary 9, 2012 at 3:54 AM

    Looks so yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  32. HemaFebruary 12, 2012 at 11:53 AM

    The theeyal looks inviting, with pearl onions, shud have tasted divine..

    ReplyDelete

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