Bittergourd in roasted coconut and sesame gravy/Pavakka ellu curry

Bittergourd is cooked in tamarind juice. It is then mixed with roasted and ground coconut, sesame seeds, dry red chillies, fenugreek seeds and coriander seeds with a hint of asafoetida.

Ingredients

Bittergourd- 2 nos
Grated coconut- 1 cup
Coriander seeds- 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds -1/4 tsp
White Sesame seeds/ellu - 3 tsp
Dry red chillies - 6 nos
Tamarind - gooseberry sized
Asafoetida - a pinch


Method

Clean and cut bittergourd into pieces.

Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of water. Squeeze out the tamarind juice and set aside.

In a kadai, fry grated coconut, coriander seeds, dry red chillies, fenugreek seeds, sesame seeds, and asafoetida till they become light brown in colour (as shown picture). Allow it to cool. Then grind them using a mixer into a fine paste.

In a pan, add bittergourd with tamarind juice, salt and turmeric powder. When bittergourd is cooked, add ground paste with required water and boil.

Heat coconut oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves. Pour over the curry.