கேரளத்து பாகற்காய் தீயல் / Bitter Guard in Roasted Coconut Gravy

This is my Mom's Favorite dish <3 I dedicate this recipe to my mom Mrs. Ambiga thavasaiyan :) Pagarkai theeyal is a kerala recipe .. Normally i hate bitter guards but this recipe is an exceptional case :) :) if you cook in the correct manner , You ll never feel any kind of bitterness in this dish. .. It's actually a tangy flavored gravy, it goes well with appalam or vathal :) Best Combo !!

Click on the image to enlarge

Note : For better taste finely chop the bitter guard as much as you can.

Ingredients

Finely Chopped Bitter guard - 2 Big sized
Onion - 3 medium sized
Tamarind - 2 lemon sized
Curry leaves & corriander leaves - 1 cup
Fenugreek - 1 tspn
Homemade chilly powder - 2 & 1/2 half tbspn
( OR normal chilly powder - 1 &1/2 tspn ,
Coriander powder - 2 tspn )
Turmeric - 2 pinch

Salt

To Roast & then Grind :

Grated Coconut - 3 tbspn
Cumin seeds - 1 spn

Method

Heat a pan with 3 tbspn of cooking oil ( if you are really a kerala dish fan , you can use coconut oil. But i prefer normal cooking oil )

Add fenugreek / vendhayam.

Add chopped curry leaves & coriander leaves Along with chopped Onion.

Once onion is cooked enough , add chopped bitter guard ( add 2 spn of oil ).

Sprinkle some salt ( to cook fast )

Note : Bitter guard should be cooked well before going to next step . So fry it for atleast 10 - 15 mins and get it almost cooked .

<----See the Difference ---- >

Add thick tamarind water (1 to 1 1/2 cup) to the cooked bitter guard fry. Add 1 cup of water( see your consistency req )

Add homemade Chilly Powder & Turmeric.
Add Salt .

Note : If you dont have homemade chilly powder , use normal pure chilly powder along with coriander powder .