Hagalakayi Palya/Bitter Gourd Sabzi

Life has been pretty busy for me in the past few days and I haven't been doing much of cooking.... I have been sticking to recipes that get done fast and do not require too much preparation! Here's one such sabzi that I made today. Not that it gets done fast..... But its quite easy to make and takes very few common ingredients that would usually be available in your pantry.

Ingredients:

3 Bitter Gourds/Karela/Hagalakayi , medium sized

1/2 tsp Haldi

4-5 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

3-4 Curry leaves

A pinch of hing

1 tsp Rasam/Sambhar powder of your choice

2" Jaggery cube

3/4 tsp Tamarind paste OR 1 big lemon sized tamarind pulp soaked in warm water

1 tbsp Grated coconut, fresh/frozen

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Remove seeds from the bitter gourds and chop them finely; Add haldi,salt and mix well; Keep aside for about 30-40 mins.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan;Temper with mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves.
3. Squeeze out the juice from the chopped bitter gourd and add to the tempering.
4. Cook on medium heat until they turn crisp and lightly brown in color; Saute regularly.
5. Add rasam powder, jaggery, tamarind, coconut and mix well; Add salt if required and cook for couple of more minutes. At this point, you might want to add  more tamarind or jaggery depending on the taste.
6. Remove from stove and serve hot with rice or rotis. Enjoi!

Serves: 2 people

Prep Time: 20-25 mins