What you need
Bitter gourd/Pavakkai: 3 no (deseeded and chopped into cubes)
Onion: 1 no (chopped finely)
Garlic : 3 cloves
Tomato: 1 no( Chopped into cubes)
Tamarind: small ping pong size
Salt: 1 teaspoon or to taste
Vathal kuzhambu powder; 1 tablespoon
Freshly grated coconut: 3 tablespoon
Red chilies: 2 no
Curry leaves: 1 sprig( 10 nos)
Mustard seeds: ½ teaspoon
Cumin seeds: ¼ teaspoon
Fennel seeds: ½ teaspoon
Turmeric powder: ¼ teaspoon
Raw rice: 1 teaspoon
Asafetoida: ¼ teaspoon
Oil: 2 tablespoon
Water: 2 ½ cup
How I Made
Heat 1 ½ tablespoon oil in a medium sauce pot and add onion and fry them until it become translucent. It takes about 6 minutes. Then add chopped garlic cloves and fry for 2 minutes. To this add chopped bitter gourd, ½ teaspoon salt, turmeric and fry for another 5 minutes. To this add tomato and cook for another 3 minutes. Then add 1 cup of water and cook for 6 minutes or until bitter gourd pieces are well done.
In the mean time grind coconut, cumin, fennel seeds and rice into fine paste with ½ cup of water and set aside.
Extract the juice from the tamarind in ½ cup of water by microwaving on high for 15 seconds and strain it. Set aside.
Add tamarind juice to bitter gourd-onion-tomato garlic mixture and bring it to boil.
To above mixture add ground coconut-cumin-fennel seed paste along with ½ cup of water and again bring it to boil .Check salt add if needed.
In small pan heat ½ teaspoon oil and add mustard seeds once it starts splutters add halved red chilies and asafetodia and curry leaves and switch off the flame. Add this mixture to cooked bitter gourd curry.
Enjoy with rice and a curry.