PAVAKKA ACHAAR
Bitter gourd - 2kg
Ginger - 1 big piece
Garlic - 2 bulbs
Fenugreek seeds - ½ tbsp
Asafoetida - a medium piece
Green chilly or banana pepper
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds
Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder - 2 tbsp
Vinegar - ½ cup
Brown sugar
Hi everyone, today I am going to make a delicious home-made bitter gourd pickle..
As the first step, clean a big piece of ginger and two bolts of garlic and crush it in the medium jar of a mixer grinder and set aside.
Next, dry roast half a tablespoon of fenugreek seeds in a pan and then gently crush it with a mortar and pestle and set aside.
Next, add a little coconut oil in a small pan and fry a few pieces of asafoetida until it turns fragrant and looks golden and fried.
Next, add it to the same mortar and pestle and crush it to form a fine powder.. if your asafoetida turns into a paste when you’re trying to crush it, it’s because you have not fully fried it. Fried for a few more minutes and then crush the asafoetida.
For the next step, heat some water in a wok and add some salt to taste.. as the water starts to heat up, add two cages of finely chopped bitter gourd and give a stir and let it be in the water only until the water starts to boil, do not leave it any longer.
Next, into the same pan, add a generous amount of coconut oil or sesame oil and shallow fry the boiled bitter gourd and add some salt to taste if required.
When the bitter God is shallow fried and done, transfer it into another bowl which has no moisture in it..
Next, start preparing the masala for the pickle in the same pain by heating some coconut oil and popping a few mustard seeds in it.
Next, add finely chopped green chilies or banana peppers as I have used in the video and start sauteing for a couple of seconds, and then add the crushed ginger and garlic and roast well..
When the ginger and garlic starts to change colour, add a tablespoon of turmeric powder and sauté until its raw smell goes away..
Next, add 2 tablespoons of chilli powder or chilli powder as per your taste and sauté until it’s raw smell goes away as well.
Along with the chilli powder and turmeric powder, add asafoetida powder and fenugreek powder as well.
Make sure that the turmeric powder and chilli powder is well sautéed in the oil before adding any other spices.
When all the masalas combine together, add half a cup of vinegar and mix well.
At this stage, if you need gravy for your pickle, add boiling hot water before adding the fried bitter gourd.
After all the masalas are combined, add the fried bitter gourd and mix well together..
Finely to balance all the flavours, add a pinch of brown sugar as well and mix it in the pickle..!
6 окт 2024
