My 35th recipe "Paakarkaai (Bitter Gourd) Podimas", a healthy side dish. But,reading the name itself makes you to hesitate a bit right ? Probably bcoz of the word "Paakarkaai" hiding in the name. Even though everyone knows that there is no match to the numerous health benefits provided by paakarkaai, it still would be the one vegetable that has the most haters bcoz of its bitterness. But don't worry, the next word "Podimas" is going to make your face blossom. I can assure you that the way we prepare this dish, will put down all the bitterness and will taste absolutely great. You can include this dish in your diet atleast once a week and stay away from all the fast food age diseases.
| Serves | : | 2 |
| Total Time | : | 15 mins |
| Preparation Time | : | 5 mins |
| Cooking Time | : | 10 mins |
Ingredients:-
| Paakarkaai / Bitter gourd | - | 3 | Turmeric powder | - | ¼ tsp | Sambar powder | - | 2 tsp (Chilli powder- 1 tsp + Coriander powder- 1 tsp) | Salt | - | ½ tsp (Adjust as needed) | Oil | - | 2 Tbsp | Mustard | - | ¼ tsp | Broken urad dal | - | 1 tsp | Jeera | - | ½ tsp |
Method:-
| 1) | First, cut the Bitter gourd into thin slices. Chop those slices further into smaller pieces. | |
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| 2) | Now, heat a pan with 1 Tbsp oil, add the mustard, let it splutter and then follow it by urad dal and jeera. Once they turn golden brown, add the chopped bitter gourd and stir for 2 minutes. | |
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| 3) | Add the turmeric, sambar powder, salt and give a quick stir. Add water till the veggie is half immersed. Cover with lid and cook in low-medium flame till the water evaporates. By that time the bitter gourd would be almost done. | |
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| 4) | Now, turn the flame to high and saute continuously, by adding the remaining 1 Tbsp oil at regular intervals. At one point the bitter gourd will not stick to the pan and will turn brown. Turn off the flame and transfer to serving bowl. | |
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| 5) | Serve hot as a side dish for any rice and gravy dish like sambar, rasam. | |
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Notes:-
| • | Taste of the dish totally depends on the way we chop the bitter gourd. Chop them as finely as possible. Also, nicely saute the bitter gourd. At the same time be careful to make sure the bitter gourd does not burn. | |
| • | Since you are chopping the bitter gourd finely, you will not taste the bitterness. You need not wash it with tamarind water or curd to specifically remove the bitterness before cooking. | |
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