Pavakkai puli kuzhambu | Kakarakaya pulusu | Bittergourd gravy without coconut
Pavakkai puli kuzhambu is the tamarind-based Bittergourd gravy and called as Kakarakaya pulusu in Andhra. It is made by cooking bitter gourd in thick tamarind sauce, the best pair with hot rice and papad.
You can store this Pavakka pulikulambu in the refrigerator for up to four weeks and outside it stays good for three days. As we cook completely with lots of tamarind water this is a very good option for storage during travels.
Difference between Andhra Kakarakaya pulusu and Tamilnadu Pavakkai puli kuzhambu:
In Tamilnadu, usually, the jaggery is not added at the end. But in Andhra for all tamarind based gravies, they add a little bit of jaggery towards the end that gives an elevated taste to the pulusu.
Next, in Bittergourd pulusu the ginger garlic paste is used whereas in Pavakka Puli kulambu garlic alone is used.
This is purely our personal choice and both ways it tastes good.
Lastly, in pavakkai pulikuzhambu most of the time we cook bitter gourd pieces in tamarind onion tomato based gravy and that’s it. But in Kakarakaya pulusu, the bitter gourd is first roasted in oil for few minutes to lessen the bitterness and it really helps.
You can follow this or the former method as you prefer. I fried the pavakkai in oil and made this tamarind gravy today adapted from the Andhra method.
Lastly, I add a tbsp of the rice flour mix to thicken the pulikuzhambu. This is optional and you can use coconut milk also if you prefer.
If you are a Bittergourd lover do try this Pavakkai thokku, as a popular recipe from my blog.
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Pavakkai puli kuzhambu | Kakarakaya pulusu | Bittergourd gravy without coconut
Ingredients
- 2 Bitter gourds
- 2 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
- ½ tsp split urad dal
- 1 cup shallots (or red onion)
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- Few curry leaves
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¾ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- 2 cups tamarind water
- small lemon size tamarind
- 1 tsp salt (as per taste)
- 1 tbsp rice flour
- 1 tsp jaggery powder
Instructions
Preparation:
- Soak a lemon size tamarind in warm water for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes squeeze and extract two cups of tamarind water. Keep aside.
- Chop red onion and garlic, set aside. I used red onions due to the unavailability of shallots. Shallots give a better taste to this kakarakaya pulusu (pavakka pulikuzhambu).
- Wash 2 large or 4 small Bittergourds and chop them thinly. Remove the seeds if they are hard and mature. I use the core flesh only of the bitter gourds that are young and soft.
Recipe:
How to make bitter gourd less bitter?
- Heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan and fry the bitter gourd pieces in medium heat.
- Saute the pavakkai pieces in oil with 1/2 tsp of salt for around 8 minutes until they shrink in size.
- The natural juices from the veggie evaporate and get roasted slightly.
- Transfer the oil-fried bitter gourd pieces into another plate.
Bittergourd tamarind curry:
- Next to the same pan with leftover oil add seasonings.
- Fry 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds and 1/2 tsp split urad dal.
- Let the mustard seeds splutter and the urad dal becomes light brown color.
- Add a cup of red onions or shallots and saute well until they become soft and transparent.
- Add a tbsp of chopped garlic with some fresh curry leaves and saute along with onions.
- Put a 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and 3/4 tsp of chilli powder and 1/2 tsp of coriander powder.
- Saute few seconds and add fried bitter gourd.
- Next add twp cups of tamarind water, cover with a lid and cook the bitter gourd till soft.
- It takes around ten minutes to cook them and by the time the tamarind water reduces to half and leaves the raw smell.
- Add a tsp of crystal Salt as per taste and mix well.
- When the oil floats on top and sides, add the rice flour mix. To make it just mix a tbsp of rice flour with a quarter cup of water without lumps and add it to the gravy to make it thick.
- This is a great technique to thicken the gravy and to slightly add blandness to the heavy tang of tamarind. This also helps reduce the bitterness if any passed in the gravy.
- Add a tbsp of jaggery powder and mix.
- Let the gravy cook for five more minutes and switch it off.
Video
Notes
1) Adding rice flour mix is to thicken the gravy. If you don't wish to add feel free to skip it.
2) You can use sambar powder(1.5tsp) in place of chilli powder (3/4tsp). In that case, skip coriander powder and reduce the number of fenugreek seeds (1/4tsp), as sambar powder itself has coriander and fenugreek in it.
3) Make sure to cook the tamarind water well for atleast 10mins till it thickens and reduces in quantity.
Nutrition
Preparation:
- Soak a lemon size tamarind in warm water for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes squeeze and extract two cups of tamarind water. Keep aside.
- Chop red onion and garlic, set aside. I used red onions due to the unavailability of shallots. Shallots give a better taste to this kakarakaya pulusu (pavakka pulikuzhambu).
- Wash 2 large or 4 small Bittergourds and chop them thinly. Remove the seeds if they are hard and mature. I use the core flesh only of the bitter gourds that are young and soft.
Recipe:
How to make bitter gourd taste less bitter?
- Heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan and fry the bitter gourd pieces in medium heat.
- Saute the pavakkai pieces in oil with 1/2 tsp of salt for around 8 minutes until they shrink in size.
- The natural juices from the veggie evaporate and get roasted slightly.
- Transfer the oil-fried bittergourd pieces to another plate.
Bittergourd tamarind curry:
- Next to the same pan with leftover oil and add seasonings.
- Fry 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds and 1/2 tsp split urad dal.
- Let the mustard seeds splutter and the urad dal becomes light brown color.
- Add a cup of red onions or shallots and saute well until they become soft and transparent.
- Add a tbsp of chopped garlic with some fresh curry leaves and saute along with onions.
- Saute few seconds and add fried bittergourd.
- Put a 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and 3/4 tsp of chilli powder and 1/2 tsp of coriander powder.
- Next add two cups of tamarind water, cover with a lid and cook the bittergourd till soft. Reduce tamarind water quantity to one cup if you don’t like too much tang taste.
- It takes around ten minutes to cook them and by the time the tamarind water reduces to half and leaves the raw smell.
- Add a tsp of crystal Salt as per taste and mix well.
- When the oil floats on top and sides, add the rice flour mix. To make it just mix a tbsp of rice flour with a quarter cup of water without lumps and add it to the gravy to make it thick.
- This is a great technique to thicken the gravy and to slightly add blandness to the heavy tang of tamarind. This also helps reduce the bitterness if any passed in the gravy.
- Add a tsp of jaggery powder and mix well.
- Let the gravy cook for five more minutes and switch it off. Serve with hot rice and Potato podimas.
Tips:
1) Adding rice flour mix is to thicken the gravy. If you don’t wish to add feel free to skip it.
2) You can use sambar powder(1.5tsp) in place of chilli powder (3/4tsp). In that case, skip coriander powder and reduce the number of fenugreek seeds (1/4tsp) as sambar powder itself has coriander and fenugreek in it.
3) Make sure to cook the tamarind water well for atleast 10mins till it thickens and reduces in quantity.
