Bitter Guard Pitlai

Monday, January 12, 2009

Here is another way of making bitter guard. The ingredients are almost similar to sambar but with the fresh ground spices instead of using readymade sambar powder. since we add Dal also in this it is perfectly healthy dish along with loads of medicinal benefits of Bitter guard.

Ingredients

2 cups of bitter guard chopped into thin round pieces
1 cup Toor Dal
3 whole dried red chillies
1 Tablespoon coriander seeds
1 Tablespoon urud dal
1 Tablespoon Chana dhal (Bengal Gram)
1 teaspoon black pepper corns (reduce if you want less spice)
2 Tablespoons grated coconut
2 Tablespoons thick tamarind paste or tamarind extracted from a big lemon sized tamarind pulp
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
pinch of asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
salt to taste

Method

1) Pressure cook Toor Dal until it is cooked and keep aside.

2) Dry roast redchillies, lentils (urud dal and chana dal). coriander seeds and black pepper until Dal turns light brown

3) Blend the above dry roasted ingredients with the tamarind paste and coconut into paste by adding 1/4 cup water and keep aside

4) Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds add asafoetida and then add the chopped Bitter guard, turmeric powder. Stir fry for about 5 mins and now add the ground paste along with 2 cups of water and cook until bitter guard is cooked

5) Add the cooked Dal and adjust salt.

This goes well with Hot Rice.