Pavakka kichadi/ Bitter gourd cooked in spicy coconut yogurt mixtrue. Delicious traditional Kerala style curry with Indian bitter gourd.
While I was young, I didn’t like bitter gourd, but over the years had started liking them. My grandma make sure to make bitter gourd curry called Pitla at least once in week. Since my dad like that curry, mom also started making it. First mom used to say don’t eat bitter gourd just try the gravy. Slowly I started liking the gravy, and thus got courage to try the veggies. And finally bitter gourd became my favorite. Now I make curry whenever I get a chance to get hold of them. My husband loves this Pavakka kichadi he always tells me if you make this curry I can buy Pavakka/ Bitter gourd.
Earlier I used my mom’s recipe to make this curry, but one day I watched a YouTube video my favorite cook Pachayidom Mohanan Namboothiri, and hooked to his recipe and started making it his way. Yes it is really easy recipe. I think even though in his television show’s he makes everything in bulk quantities, he is a good teacher and gives you the tips and ratios very correctly.
If you follow the steps correctly you will get the tasty dish in the end. His video taught me how to make delicious Sweet banana chips which I was struggling for 3-4 times earlier. I would love to get cooking lessons from him if possible.
This is simple recipe, first you need to fry the veggies with some green chilies and curry leaves. Then add ground paste of coconut and mustard along with yogurt into the fried bitter gourd and add salts. Then add seasoning in the end. Enjoy. I think you need to make ahead by least an hour before serving them.
Delicious, it goes well with rice; my hubby even likes it with chapathi/roti. Only cooking part is the frying of veggies, after that you done. This dish is traditional one served during the feast/Sadya during festivals, marriages or any other functions. Give it a try you will love it for sure nothing can go wrong with coconut, yogurt and spices.
For making this curry you need to heat oil
Sliced bitter gourd after removing the seeds.
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Fry the bitter gourd in oil
Add green chili and curry leaves
Add curry leaves and green chilies along with bitter gourd.
Golden fired bitter gourd.
Grind coconut, yogrut and mustard seeds into a fine paste.
Mix in coconut yougrut mixture, fried bitter gourd with extra yogurt.
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Pavakka Kichadi / Bitter gourd cooked in spicy yogurt
Ingredients
- 4 pavakka/ bitter gourd sliced into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 green chilies chopped into 4 pieces
- 2 sprig curry leaves
- ½ cup grated fresh coconut
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 cup Yogurt I used homemade one, if it is very thick dilute it with ¼ cup water
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ cup Peanut oil use your favorite frying oil
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 red chili halved into pieces
Instructions
- In a skillet heat peanut oil and when it comes hot,
- add chopped pavakka/ bitter gourd,
- green chilies and 1 sprig of curry leaves fry until it is golden brown.
- Make sure it shouldn’t burn but it is entirely fried.
- Drain them in a kitchen towel and sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt and lightly crush them set aside.
- In a small grinder add coconut, ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds and ¾ cup yogurt and grind them into fine paste.
- In another bowl add this ground coconut paste with fried pavakka/ bitter gourd and add rest of yogurt and mix well and set aside for 1 hour.
- Heat one teaspoon coconut oil and skillet and add rest of mustard seeds, red chilies and rest of curry leaves and fry until the mustard seeds starts pop.
- Add this seasoning to pavakka yogrut mixture, enjoy with rice.
Nutrition
4
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
tigerfish says
I enjoy bitter gourd quite a bit but this is the first time I see it being cooked this way with grated fresh coconut and yogurt. Usually I will cook bitter melon with tomatoes, curry leaves (if I can get them), and those spices. 🙂
Hadia says
Now this sounds really tempting, Swathi. Pinning and tweeting.
Suja Manoj says
My favorite, adipoli
Sundari says
Yummy pachadi!!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
This is such an interesting recipe. We love pavakkai and this is something we will all like. I am trying this out soon 🙂
Rani Vijoo says
My favourite. Looks delicious Swathi.
Binjal's VEG Kitchen says
wow! very new for me, nice recipe!
Nalini Somayaji says
I am loving it...its simply super and traditional...
Gloria says
I have never liked butter gourd except the crispy fried form but this looks so yumm...will try this someday for sure..
Amrita says
Never tried bitter gourd in yogurt gravy...looks different I must try
beena says
Really tempting kichadi. my fav
Rafeeda says
I don't know why I still can't get close to a pavakka, though when I have lunch from outside, I do much on the fried ones... Maybe must try this to get rid of my hesitation, looks tempting...