Pavakkai Pitlai / Bitter Gourd Pitlai / Bitter Melon Pitlai with Sambar Powder

Pavakkai Pitlai is a spicy Indian curry with little variations from regular sambar. This Pitlai is not something common in every household. I heard about this recipe through some of my friends and ofcourse through blogosphere. 

I've made what all I can do to reduce the bitterness of the bittergourd. And finally, when I was eating it, I was very happy as its bitterness is almost gone. Now I can proudly say I can handle this vegetable well and good. Having made this for few times recently, thought why not have I tried this earlier. 

Those who are following my posts, (of course, I post very few ) would know that I cook bitter gourd at least once a week. And this recipe is going to be in my weekly plan at least for few months to come. 

Something that I really like about this recipe is there is no tomato added. I somehow, have the feeling nowadays why are we using tomatoes in almost all recipes. When I don't include tomatoes in a recipe (like Puli kuzhambu), it gives me a traditional feeling as tamilians (not sure about all other states) cooked curries only with tamarind and not with tomatoes; they got themselves included in our diet since just few decades.

Source: Vahchef

Ingredients:

Bittergourd (Long) 1
Toor Dhal (Thuvaram paruppu) 1/2 cup
Channa (Kondai Kadalai) 1/4 cup
Sambar Powder 2 1/2 tbsp
Grated Coconut 1-2 tbsp
Grated Jaggery 1-2 tsp
Lemon sized tamarind - two (one for soaking; one for cooking)

To temper:

Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp
Urad Dhal 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves few
Chopped Pearl Onions 1/2 cup
Asafoetida a generous pinch
Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp
Dried Red Chillies 2

Preparation:

Soak channa in water over night. Soak Toor Dhal in water for atleast half an hour. (Not necessary, if your toor dhal cooks faster.)

Cut bitter gourd into small pieces. Soak in tamarind water for atleast one hour.  

Meanwhile cook channa for 3-4 whistles in pressure cooker and keep it aside. Cook Toor Dhal for 2-3 whistles in pressure cooker and keep it aside. 

Chop onions. Grate Coconut and Jaggery. Grind grated coconut with little water to form a paste. Keep it aside.

Rinse the chopped bitter gourd with the water extracted from the same tamarind 2-3 times well.

Method:

Soak another lemon sized tamarind in water for at least 15 minutes. Extract the pulp using two cups of water.

Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add Mustard seeds. When they complete popping up, add Urad Dhal, Asafoetida, Turmeric Powder, chopped onions, slit dried red chillies and curry leaves. Fry till the onions turn translucent.

Now add the chopped and rinsed bitter gourd slices. Add little salt and fry for atleast 5 minutes. (This helps to remove bitterness). Add the tamarind pulp extracted using two cups of water. Allow boiling until it is cooked.

Now add the cooked toor dhal, channa, sambar powder, grated jaggery, salt and water. Mix well and when it is almost done, add the coconut paste and allow boiling until everything combines well to reach the desired consistency.

Serves: 3
Serve with any stir fry.

Notes:

Do not cook bitter gourd along with other dhals. Cook it separately or as mentioned above.

Once cooked, add all the other dhals. Rinsing the bitter gourd with tamarind water 2-3 times and cooking with the tamarind pulp extracted helps to remove the bitterness.

This is off to South Indian cooking event at The Big Sweet Tooth.

Pasiparuppu (Moong Dhal) Sambar

I would say this a comfort food. I was given Idli with this Sambar the next day after my every surgery. I had many surgeries by God's grace. This combo was suggested by my Doctor. I gave this to my son as side dish when I first fed him Idli though included spices very less.

My Mom usually prepares this along with Chapati. But this goes well with Idli too.

Ingredients:

Moong Dhal 1/2 cup
Potato (small) 1
Tomato 1
Pepper seeds 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves 4-5
Pearl Onions 5-6
Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida 1-2 pinch
Green chillies 2
Salt
Water

Preparation:

Chop Pearl Onions and slit chillies. Chop Potato into thin slices along with the skin.

Method:

Cook Moong Dhal along with Tomato in pressure cooker. 

In a Pan, heat oil. Add Pepper and Cumin seeds. When they turn slightly brown, add Curry leaves, Pearl onions, Chillies, Turmeric Powder and Asafoetida.

Now add sliced  potato. Fry for a while and then add little salt and water.

Meanwhile cut the cooked Tomato into 2-3 pieces. 

When Potato is almost cooked, add cooked Moong Dhal and Tomato. Mix well and add water & salt.

Boil till the Sambar reaches the required consistency.


Serves: 2
Serve with Idli / Dosa / Chapati.

Notes: 

As tomato is cooked with Dhal, it makes the cooking faster. But you can also chop and add raw tomato when adding potatoes. 

This Sambar tastes better when pepper seeds and chillies are added quite more as there is no other spicy or chilly powder is used. My pepper seeds and chillies are very hot here; so have added less. Adjust pepper seeds and chillies according to your taste. If feeding children, add the spices less.

I personally like it very much as it is very easy to prepare and goes well with chapati and nutritious too.. :)

Linking this recipe to Hearty and Healthy event by vimitha of My culinary Trial room..

How to make Quick Sambar???

Usually I prepare Sambar and serve only with Rice. But sometimes when I feel like preparing both Chutney and Sambar for Idli or Venn Pongal, I mostly end up making only Chutney and not sambar, as it takes more time.. Atlast, I found this method, a fusion of my Mom's method and mine, really quick and easy.

Ingredients:

Vegetables ¾ cup (350ml cup)

Ripe Tomato (Medium) 2

Toor Dhal ¾ cup (200ml cup)

Sambar Powder 2 tbsp or to taste

Turmeric Powder  ¼  tsp

Asafoetida crystal  1 / Asafoetida Powder 2 pinch

Water 4-5 tbsp (for Tamarind Juice)

Tamarind  ‘Gooseberry’ size

Salt 1 ¾ tsp or to taste

Water 2-3 cups(350ml cup) (approx)

For Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds 1 tsp

Split Urad Dhal ½ tsp

Pearl Onions 5

Curry Leaves 4

Coriander Few

Sesame Oil

Preparation:

Cut Vegetables into larger pieces. Need not cut Tomatoes.

Soak Tamarind in 4 tbsp of water only for 2 mins. Extract Juice.

Chop Pearl Onions and Coriander.

Method:

In a Pan, add Sambar Powder, Asafoetida Powder and Water. Allow to boil.

Meanwhile, cook Toor Dhal along with Turmeric Powder, Vegetables and Tomato in a Pressure Cooker. When done transfer it to the boiling water with Sambar Powder in the Pan and continue boiling. When it is almost ready, add Tamarind Juice and Simmer for 5 minutes.

Prepare the seasoning and pour it into the sambar when it is ready.

To do Seasoning:

Heat little Oil in a Pan. When hot, add Mustard Seeds. When they completely stop popping up, add Urad Dhal, Curry Leaves and Pearl Onions. Fry till the onions turn translucent. Switch off the flame. Add Coriander Leaves.

Note:

Avoid Vegetables like Brinjal, Raw/Unripe Mango, Okra/LadysFinger and Pumpkin in this method as they turn too soft.

Check out usual preparation of Sambar.

Sambar



Mullangi (Radish) Sambar

Sambar is one such recipe that is prepared at least 2-3 times a week at every Tamil Home.

I came to know from a TV History news that Sambar came to existence during the period of a Tanjore King called Shahji. I checked with wikipedia and found to be correct.

Coming to the history, Shahji was fond of a dish called Amti which could not be prepared as some of the ingredients were out of stock. So he experimented with Tamarind, Vegetables and Pulses available here. It was also served to his cousin, Sambaji who visited him. Everyone enjoyed and named it Sambar after the Guest, Sambaji.

Ingredients:

Vegetables ¾ cup (350ml cup)

Ripe Tomato (Medium) 2

Toor Dhal ¾ cup (200ml cup)

Sambar Powder 2 tbsp or to taste

Turmeric Powder  ¼  tsp

Asafoetida crystal  1 / Asafoetida Powder 2 Pinch

Water 4-5 tbsp (for Tamarind Juice)

Tamarind  ‘Gooseberry or Nellikkai’ (small) size

Salt 1 ¾ tsp or to taste

Water 5 cups (approx) (350ml cup)

For Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds 1 tsp

Split Urad Dhal ½ tsp

Pearl Onions 5

Curry Leaves 4

Coriander Few

Sesame Oil

Preparation:

Cut Tomato into halves.

Cut vegetables into pieces.

Soak Tamarind in 4 tbsp of water only for 2 mins. Extract Juice.

Chop Pearl Onions and Coriander.

Method:

Cook Toor Dhal till it turns to a paste.

Heat Pan or Kadai. Add Vegetables and Sambar Powder. Fry without oil for 2-5 mins on a low flame. Add cooked Toor Dhal. Squeeze Juice from Tomato. Add it along with its skin. Add enough Water, Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida , Salt and stir well.

Boil till Vegetables & Tomatoes are cooked and the raw smell goes off. Add the Strained Tamarind Juice. Boil for five more minutes.

Seasoning:

Heat Oil in a Pan. When hot, add Mustard seeds. When popped, reduce flame and add Urad Dhal. Few seconds later, add Pearl Onions and Curry Leaves.

When onions turn translucent, switch off flame and add Coriander. Mix well. Add this seasoning to Cooked Sambar.

Serves : 4

Serve with Rice and any Poriyal/Dry Curry.

Note:

Toor Dhal can be soaked for 30-45 minutes to make it cook well and faster. It is necessary to soak Toor Dhal if water used for cooking is hard water.

Tamarind Juice should not be thick as we add Tomato too. So do not extract more Juice from Tamarind or do not soak for longer time.

Also Sambar should be little watery and not very thick.

Sambar can also be made only with Pearl Onions and without vegetables. This is called as Vengaya Sambar (Onion Sambar) and this goes well with Idli, Pongal or Dosa rather than with Rice.

Suggestions for Vegetables that can be used in Sambar:

Brinjal (Kathirikkai Sambar)

Chayote (Chow Chow Sambar)

Drumstick (Murungakkai Sambar)

Drumstick Leaves (Murungai Ilai or Murungai Keerai Sambar) (Do not add leaves initially; add them later as they cook faster).

Hyacinth/Indian Beans (Avaraikkai Sambar)
Ivy Gourd (Kovakkai Sambar)

Okra / Ladys Finger (Vendakkai Sambar)

Radish  (Mullangi Sambar)

Raw Mango (Mangai Sambar)

White Pumpkin (Vellai Poosanikkai Sambar)

Combinations:

Beans and Carrot

Drumstick and Brinjal

Drumstick and Hyacinth/Indian Beans

Drumstick and Raw Mango (Use only one Tomato)

Drumstick and Radish

Drumstick, Raw Mango and Jackfruit Seeds (Use only one Tomato)

Drumstick and Jackfruit Seeds

Drumstick and White Pumpkin. You can also try Yellow Pumpkin (Manjal Poosanikkai). But it gives a sweet taste.

While preparing Sambar with Raw Mango, do not add them initially add them later when sambar boils well and other vegetables are almost cooked (if added). Also cut Raw Mango into larger pieces.

Kadalai Paruppu / Channa Dhal Koottu

Snake Gourd - Channa Dhal Koottu

Usually Koottu is served as side dish. But this can also be served as Main Course.This is prepared in the form of semi solid, neither watery like Sambar nor as dry as Poriyal/DryCurry. Koottu means "to add" in Tamil. Here it means adding Vegetables and Dhal together. Learn more about Koottu here. This is a low oil recipe and so is a good food for aged and babies.

My 1.5 year old son is very much fond of this recipe, for whom I started preparing this often. He likes to have koottu prepared with Yellow Pumpkin and Rasam.. Vegetables cooked with Dhal and Coconut gives a very unique taste. I always wonder how does this tastes so much good inspite of usage of no special masala.

Ingredients:

Kadalai Paruppu / Channa Dhal ½ cup (200 ml cup)

Vegetables 200g

Dried Red Chillies 1-2

Jeeragam /Cumin ¾ tsp

Grated Coconut 4 or 5 tsp

Turmeric Powder ¼ tsp
Asafoetida Powder a pinch

Salt 1 tsp or to taste

Water

For Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds 1 tsp

Curry Leaves 5

Pearl Onions 5

Oil

Preparation:

Grate Coconut.

Grind Together: Coconut, Cumin and Dried Red Chillies.

Chop Pearl onions into fine pieces.

Method:

Cook KadalaiParuppu / ChannaDhal.

Cook Vegetables with enough water in a pan. Add cooked Channa Dhal when vegetables are cooked. Add Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida and Salt.

When it starts boiling, add the Coconut-Cumin-Chillies paste. Boil for some more time till it reduces.

In another pan, heat Oil. When it is hot, add mustard seeds. When popped, reduce flame. Add Curry Leaves and Pearl Onions. Fry till the onions become translucent. Pour this seasoning into the koottu.

Serve with Rice as Main course or as side dish to any Puli Kuzhambu or Rasam.

Serves: 2-3

Suggestions for Vegetables that can be used for Koottu:

Potato (Urulai Kizhangu in Tamil)
Snake Gourd (Podalangai)

Green(Unripe) Banana (Vazhakkai).. (Takes more time to cook..)

Yellow Pumpkin (Manjal Poosanikai )

Note:

Do not drain water after cooking Vegetables or Channa Dhal. It is better to use other vegetables and avoid Potato as we eat more Potato in many other forms. 

Paruppu / Dhal Curry / Dhal Fry

Generally this Curry is served first along with Ghee in every Vegetarian Virundhu Sapadu (Feast). Babies are given this as first food after Milk and Cerelac. This is a favourite Curry for many adults too..

It is a protein rich recipe, especially for vegetarians. Whenever I am bored of making Sambar, I prepare this Curry. This tastes very good though only few ingredients are used. 

Ingredients:

Thuvaram Paruppu / Toor Dhal ¾ cup (200ml cup)

Turmeric Powder ¼ tsp

Asafoetida crystal  1 / Asafoetida Powder ¼ tsp

Dried Red Chillies  2-3

Pearl Onions 4

Curry Leaves 4

Split Urad Dhal ½ tsp

Mustard Seeds ¾ tsp

Water (approx 4 cups)

Salt

Oil

Preparation:

Chop Pearl Onions.

Cut Red Chillies into two pieces.

Method:

Cook Toor Dhal till it turns to a paste.

Heat Oil in a pan. When it is hot, add mustard seeds. Wait till it pops up, reduce flame.

Add Split Urad Dhal, Red Chillies and Curry Leaves now. When it starts changing its color, add cooked Toor Dhal. Add enough water. Add Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida and Salt. Cook till done.

Serves: 3

Serve with Rice and Rasam.

Note:
To make Dhal cook well, soak it for 30-45 minutes before cooking.