arachuvita pagarkai puli kuzhambu / bitter gourd in tamarind sauce

Puli kuzhambu must be everyone's favourite. Pagarkai has wonderful medicinal property and used for the treatment of diabetes patients. I was thinking that bitter gourd grows only in india. But this is not true. It grows in many other southeast Asian countries, also in china and Africa . It is often used in chinese cooking in stir fried meat dishes. i have heard that bitter gourd juice helps to enhance body stamina. but overconsumption of the same may surely cause very low blood sugar level in the body.

Ingredients

• pagarkai / bitter gourd 1 (cut into round, thin slices)
• shallots 8
• medium sized tomato 1
• garlic 4pods
• tamarind paste 1 1/2tbsp
• coriander powder 1 1/2tbsp
• Red chilli powder 1tbsp
• kuzhambu milagai thool 1tbsp ( i used aachi brand)
• turmeric powder 1/2tsp
• red chilli 1
• curry leaves few
• jaggery little (optional)
• mustard seeds 1tsp
• fenugreek seeds 1/2tsp
• fennel seeds 1/2tsp
• salt to taste
• canola oil/sunflower oil/ gingelly oil 3tbsp

Method

• heat 1tbsp of oil in a kadai and fry onions, tomatoes, and garlic in it. Grind it into a paste.
• Now, heat 3tbsp of in a pan and add mustards, fenugreek seeds,fennel seeds, curry leaves and red chilli.
• Add the bitter gourd to it, and saute well till the raw smell goes off.
• Add the ground paste and fry till the oil seperates from the paste.
• Add coriander powder, red chilli powder, kuzhambu milagai thool and turmeric powder to it and fry well.
• add tamarind paste with 4 cups of water. add salt to taste. allow it to boil for 7 to 8 minutes. The kuzhambu has to become think in consistency. you can even add a pinch of jaggery (optional) before putting off the stove.
• serve it with steamed rice and pappad.