Pavakai Peratal (Karela Masala)

Name: Pavakai Peratal (Karela Masala)
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: South Asia — Muslim traditions
Ingredients: 5 pavakkai; 5 tbsp coconut; 7 small onions; 1 medium tomatoes; 1 tbsp khus khus; 0.5 tsp turmeric powder; 1 tsp chili powder; 1 tbsp coriander powder; 1 small tamarind pulp; 0.5 tsp mustard; 6 curry leaves; salt; 3 tbsp oil

A South Asian side dish of pavakkai, coconut and tomatoes, seasoned with turmeric and chilli and simmered on the stove.

Serves 1 · Medium

Method

Start cooking mode

Difficulty: medium

1
Soak the Tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water. Wash and Cut pavakai into small pieces removing all seeds.
2
Add salt to the pavakai and let it sit for 1/2 hr. Cut small onions and tomato to small pieces.
120 min
3
Grind Coconut, Khu Khus and Tamarind in mixer to a smooth paste. Remove the paste from the mixture and add the masala powders and salt to the ground mixture.
4
Make sure you do not add too much salt as pavakai already has some salt in it. Rinse the mixture with 1 cup of water and reserve the liquid.
5
Heat 1 tbsp. Oil in kadai. Squeeze water out of the Pavakai and add it to the hot oil. Fry the pavakai till it becomes half done.
6
Remove it from the kadai. Add 2-tbsp. Oil to the same kadai. Using sesame oil will enhance the taste.
7
Add mustard to the oil. Once it stops spluttering add curry leaves. Add onions and keep stirring till the onion becomes soft and starts changing colour.
8
Add tomato and stir for 2 min. Add the ground mixture and the reserved liquid from the mixture.
2 min
9
Once the masala starts boiling add the pavakai and stir the mixture once. Put a lid and let the pavakai cook.
10
Keep cooking till pavakai is well done and the mixture has a semi solid consistency. This can be used as a side dish or as a main dish to go with plain white rice.