Kaipakka Varutharacha curry / bitter gourd coconut milk curry

Bitter gourd cooked in coconut milk

INGREDIENTS
Bitter gourd - 2 ,
onion -1,

tomato - 2,

turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon,

coriander powder - 2 tea spoon,

chilly powder - 1 tea spoon,

tamarind paste - 1 tea cup made with one lemon size tamarind,

grated coconut - 1/2 cup,

curry leaves - few,

green chilly - 3,

mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon,

garlic clove - 1 or small onions-3(chopped),

coconut oil - 1 table spoon, salt.
Heat 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a pan and fry the coconut adding 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds until brown color. Grind this with enough water to make thick solution.

METHOD
Cut bitter gourd.

Add chopped onion, tomatoes, all the powders,salt,tamarind paste into it.

Add enough water just to cover the preparation.

Cook until three whistles in a pressure cooker.

Cool and add the blended solution.

Boil .

Heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, add curry leaves, slit green chillies and chopped garlic or shallots in to it.

Fry till the garlic is brown then add this into curry.

Have with rice!

Bitter gourd in coconut milk

We can cook bitter gourd in coconut milk following the same method. In the preparing steps, use coconut milk instead of blended solution of fried coconut. Using thick coconut milk gives a nice taste.Reduce water in the cooked bittergourd, just to avoid bitterness. Then add thick coconut milk. I make it usually with ready made coconut milk powder. This curry tastes well after two or three hours of cooking.