Bitter Gourd Theeyal Recipe or Pavakkai Theeyal with Video. A gem of a recipe from the Lands of the Gods, Kerala that tastes best when served with hot rice.
I basically love any kulambu that uses fresh paste like this Chettinad Kalyana Vatha Kulambu as the aroma itself is enticing & makes you hungry. You can sniff in the aroma from your fingers even after an hour you finished eating.
This pavakka theeyal falls into the same category and one that you make when you are bored of the regular sambar.
I have used baby bitter gourds for this recipe. Usually I make this midhi pavakkai poriyal with small bitter gourds but my heart yearned for a kulambu, so pavakkai theeyal it was.
You can also make this Pavakkai Puli Kulambu using bitter gourds.
About this theeyal:
This recipe has 3 elements where in you roast few whole spices and coconut separately to make a paste which takes up most of the time as you need roast them over low flame.
Then you make the theeyal which in itself takes hardly 7 to 8 mins wherein it gets cooked closed with a lid over low flame for 4 to 5 mins.
We then finally come to final part wherein we season with aromatic coconut oil and pour it over the cooked theeyal.
Do you know?
Apart from being good for the diabetics, bitter gourds are natural body coolants that is great for people who have “pitha dosha” or people with high body heat.
Make sure to include them in your diet especially during the summer time.
The small baby bitter gourds also called in tamil as “midhi pavakkai” are very good for people who suffer from constipation.
These gourds aid in good bowel movements negating the use of laxatives, be it natural or prescribed.
How to get rid of Bitter Gourd’s bitterness completely?
A big hats off to people who are brave enough to drink raw bitter gourd but unfortunately I’m not one among them even though I love bitter gourds.
Even though one may want to eat the bitter gourd for its medicinal benefits, many are put off by the bitterness.
So to get rid of the bitterness, the first point is to slice the bitter gourd into thin slices.
Toss those slices well with ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt. Do not worry about the salt.
Let it sit for 15 to 20 mins and you can see the bitter gourd slices to start leaving out water.
Transfer to a colander to drain the water completely. Rinse well under tap water 2 or 3 times to get rid of both bitterness & salt.
Squeeze the slices to get rid of the excess water and now you can use these slices in any recipe without any trace of bitterness.
Notes about this pavakkai theeyal:
While making the paste I’ve added only 2 nos of red chilies as the ones that I used were very spicy and this being summer time I did not want to eat anything spicy.
As a result, the theeyal was a bit bitter but not off putting than the usual times when I would 4 to 5 red chilies.
The heat of the chilies would have balanced the bitterness.
The color of the theeyal comes from roasting the whole spices and coconut to a golden brown without burning them.
So take time while roasting them & do it only over medium-low flame and pay attention.
Use only sambar onions, as the slight sweet tinge of them also helps in reducing the bitterness of the gourds.
As theeyal belongs to kerala cuisine, always use only coconut oil.
Bitter Gourd Theeyal Video:
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Bitter Gourd Theeyal Recipe with Video below:
Bitter Gourd Theeyal Recipe
Ingredients
For theeyal:
- Bitter gourd or Pavakkai - ½ cup thinly sliced
- Sambar onions or shallots - 6 to 7 nos finely chopped
- Asafoetida - 2 pinch
- Tamarind - 1 small gooseberry size
- Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
- Jaggery - ½ tsp
- Salt - to taste
- Coconut oil - ½ tbsp
For the paste:
- Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
- Black pepper corns - ½ tsp
- Garlic - 2 nos optional
- Dry whole red chillies - 2 to 5 nos
- Fenugreek - ½ tsp
- Sambar onions or shallots - 2 nos
- Fresh grated coconut - ¼ cup
For seasoning:
- Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
- Sambar onions or shallots - 2 nos thinly sliced
- Curry leaves - 1 sprig
- Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Instructions
Preparation:
- Heat ½ cup water, soak tamarind in it and let it rest for 10 to 15 mins.
- Extract pulp and set aside.
For the paste:
- Heat a pan over medium flame.
- Add all the ingredients except grated coconut - coriander seeds, black pepper, garlic, red chillies, fenugreek and sambar onions.
- Roast till the ingredients become golden brown in color and aromatic.
- The skin of both sambar onions and garlic should change color and the outer skin must shrink in size.
- Transfer the roasted ingredients to a bowl and set aside.
- To the same pan add grated coconut & roast till it becomes brown in color and fragrant.
- Cook over medium flame and keep tossing it continuously taking care not to burn.
- Once roasted transfer to the same bowl and let it cool.
- Once cooled, transfer all the ingredients to a blender jar.
- Add ½ to ¾ cup water, grind to a smooth paste and set aside.
Make bitter gourd theeyal:
- Heat a pan on medium flame with ½ tablespoon oil
- Add asafoetida and sambar onions.
- Fry till the onions become golden brown in color.
- Add bitter gourd, turmeric powder and sauté well.
- Add the ground paste and salt and mix well to combine.
- Add tamarind extract, mix well and bring to a boil.
- Once it comes to a boil, simmer completely and close with a lid.
- Cook for 4 to 5 mins or till the bitter gourd slices are soft.
- Add jaggery, stir to mix and transfer to a serving bowl.
For the seasoning:
- In a seasoning pan, add oil and once hot, add mustard seeds.
- Once it pops, add curry leaves and sliced sambar onions.
- Fry till the onions become golden brown in color.
- Pour the seasoning over the theeyal.
- Mix well for the seasoning to combine with the theeyal.
- Close the bowl with a lid and let it sit for 5 to 10 mins for the flavors to sink in.
- Serve this bitter gourd theeyal with hot rice and a side dish of your choice.
Priya
I was bored of making pitla every time and was looking for a different recipe today. Never knew we could make theeyal out of parikkai. Tried your recipe today and it came out very tasty.
Ashok
Thank you, Your Recipe Was Too Fantastic. Me and My Family Loved it. I Will definitely Share your recipe with my friends.
Radhika
Thank you for trying and for such a positive feedback. Keep visiting!!!