Thanks everyone for playing the What would you pick… game. It was comforting to know that most everyone would go for comfort food, if they had to stick with eating the same meal for the rest of their life.  There were a couple of smart alecs who wanted to take a hot guy along for dessert, I have to let them, after all it is a deserted island… ;)

Talking about my comfort food I realized that I haven’t blogged about one of my favorite dishes of all times! A simple pavakka (bitter gourd) mezhukkupuratti. For the non-Kerallites out there, let me explain what a mezhukkupuratti is. In Kerala, vegetable dry side dishes are prepared basically in two ways - with ground coconut or without. The first preparation is called a Thoran and the second one is called a Mezhukkupuratti (which roughly translates to “brushed with oil”.) Anyway, that doesn’t mean that Mezhukkupuratti does not contain coconut , Kerallites will find a way to add coconut to any preparation. Some types of mezhukkupuratti’s are made with thinly sliced coconut pieces.

In this particular bitter gourd version, coconut slices are a must, since the coconut offsets the bitterness of the vegetable. If you are a bitter gourd lover like me, I guarantee that you will love this dish!

  

Ingredients

Method

Cut the bitter gourd into half length wise. Slice along the width of the pieces as thin as you can get.

Place the bitter gourd , coconut slices, curry leaves and the sliced green chilies in a bowl, add the turmeric and chilli powders and salt and mix well. Keep the mixture aside for about 15 minutes.

In a shallow frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and add the onions. Fry till the onions turn brown. Remove the onions from the pan and keep aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tbsp oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and let these splutter. Add the marinated bitter gourd mixture and stir well.

Reduce the heat, and cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Cook for about 5 minutes covered.

Remove the lid, turn up the heat, add the fried onions and mix well. Stir fry on high heat till the mixture is well browned.

The spicy bitter gourd stir fry goes best with rice and a light gravy. I love it the best with rice and plain yogurt.

I actually made a pan full of this today. Siv is out of town, and I am planning to have this and yogurt with rice till he gets back on Tuesday night. I have been kind of sick for a couple of days, still am, so I am in no mood to cook any fancy meals. This is my comfort food, I have no problems eating the same food for three days.

You might also want to check out my other bitter gourd recipes:


Comments

32 Responses to “Bitter Gourd Stir Fry with Coconut Slices (Pavakka Mezhukkupuratti)”

  1. Vani on November 11th, 2007 4:29 pm

    Bittergourd never looked better! Just like Keralites, Konkanis try to find a way to sneak in coconut in every course of a meal too! Coz of the abundance of those trees in the region, no doubt.
    Beautiful pic, Sig! :smile:

    Thanks Vani! I am sure it started that way… because it was there :) , but now I don’t think Keralites or Konkanis can imagine a life without these :)

  2. musy on November 11th, 2007 5:06 pm

    LOVE IT! Now send me some right away! Seriously Sig, i now have to go and eat something-i got serious hunger pangs seeing this picture! and get well soon, girlie! hugs to you :)

    musical.

    Thanks musie… Wish I could ship you some, I actually made tons :) Anyway I am sure you had something wonderful… :)

  3. richa on November 11th, 2007 5:36 pm

    karela looks very tempting :) i like to try diff versions of karela, this is definitely going on my must try list :smile: would like to try the theeyal as well !
    gotta’ look for the coconut slices, never knew @ it, i always got the grated kind, love how i learn about such stuff every single day :grin: thanks sweetie!
    get well soon (think one more round of shopping will help???) :razz:

    Thanks Richa, if you are Karela fan, and like spicy food, this is for you… even if you are just so-so abt Karela, you will love the Theeyal :) Yeah, these frozen coconut slices are a big life saver… I would never get a coconut and sit and slice it :) The Indian stores out here have it, so I am sure you will be able to find some too…

    And yeah, I need another doze of retail therapy I guess ;)

  4. kajal on November 11th, 2007 6:33 pm

    Crispy looks of your dry dish makes me crazy my dear. Looks delicious. :smile:

    Thanks Kajal… :)

  5. shilpa on November 11th, 2007 6:55 pm

    You are a bitter gourd lover?? I wouldn’t have guessed that :D.
    mezhukkupuratti seems equivalent to Konkani Talasani. But I haven’t heard a version with bitter gourd and coconut pieces before. It looks fabulous.

    Yes, I LOVE bittergourd :) Never heard of Talasani before, but I am sure every region has its own version of mezhukkupuratti :)

  6. TBC on November 11th, 2007 7:23 pm

    I don’t like bitter gourd at all but my husband happens to love it. I never make it for him though :mrgreen: ‘cos I usually only make stuff that I like a lot :sad:
    My hubby is not around for a bit either and I hate having to make s’thing just for myself.

    Hope you feel better soon. Take care, Sig.

    :) U are evil … :evil: :)
    Actually me too, but I make things that both of us like, and when he is away I make things that I love… like this one… :)
    Enjoy your alone time TBC, if you can :) …

  7. Mishmash! on November 11th, 2007 8:26 pm

    Sig, suddenly you had my mouth water! i love anything with pavakka….and ur creation, it looks just awesome, even though it is our simple mezhukkupuratti :) You have a got go shot there….:)

    Shn

    :) Thanks Shn… glad you liked the pic, a rare day time shot :)

  8. Mishmash! on November 11th, 2007 8:27 pm

    sorry for the typo, i meant u have got a good shot there:P

  9. Anh on November 11th, 2007 8:54 pm

    I haven’t cooked bittergourd the spicy way before! this looks really good to convert me.

    :) I love the bitter and spicy combo… You should try some time Anh!

  10. CW on November 11th, 2007 8:56 pm

    It was hard for me not to mention how I was gonna have my dessert, but considering you write a food blog here..knew better than to get it an A rating ;-)
    Hope you feel better soon, Sig. Take care!

    :) Hey you can say what you feel like here CW… I have no sensorship… ;)

  11. Reena on November 11th, 2007 8:58 pm

    :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:
    Bitter gourd is my favorite veggie. I never add coconut in mezhukupuratti but I will try this one. Kothi varanundu ivide :grin: :grin:

    my mom adds coconut slices to some mezhukkupurattis… pavakka, koorkka etc.. try pavakka with coconut next time. :)

  12. Nags on November 11th, 2007 9:49 pm

    hmm nammude naattile special. but bittergourd is one veggie i just cannot eat. though i do when amma makes it.. :D

    :) Come on N, give it another try…. It is my favorite veggie… :)

  13. nandita on November 11th, 2007 9:56 pm

    I’m not a huge bitter gourd lover, but i can say I will like this - will be trying it soon!
    Thanks for a vegetarian delight :drool:

    Make it extra spicy, and have it with curd rice… it is totally delicious… :)

  14. Rachel on November 11th, 2007 11:19 pm

    Pavakka=bitter to the core most times i make :???: …havent had this fry though..usually what amma does is fry sliced onions along with the bittergourd..
    shall try with coconut pieces… :smile:

    I saw this in some cookbook a while ago, to fry the onions seperately… I think that helps to not overcook the onions… I love the bitterness of pavakka… the coconut and the spices sure tones it down though… :)

  15. Kaykat on November 11th, 2007 11:55 pm

    Am a big fan of mezhukkupuratti, but I’ve only eaten the plantain one, not the pavakkai version. Love that picture, and I can’t wait to try this out!

    We make most every veggie into a mezhukkupuratti… :) it is the simplese veggie preparation I know.. Try it and let me know if you like it :)

  16. sra on November 11th, 2007 11:59 pm

    Great picture, Sig, won’t cook this on my own, though!

    Aaha… a bitter gourd hater, eh? You don’t know what you are missing ;) :D

  17. padmaja on November 12th, 2007 2:33 am

    Hi Sig!
    Hope u had a great weekend :wink:
    I had a very quiet weekend after so many weeks and really enjoyed it, sleeping till 10:00 n biking n eating deep fried stuff. I am trying to loose wt but cant stop eating :cry:
    I love bittergourd fry as whole and sliced but never added coconut to it. Your dish looks delicious!!

    Looks like you had a perfect weekend Padamja…. Hey you had fried stuff, but you biked, so that balances it out… and occasional splurges are good… :) . My weekend was okay, I have a horrible cold, so didn’t do anything fun… other than watching TV, which is always fun for me ;)

  18. Rajitha on November 12th, 2007 4:19 am

    are you really sick sick or sick and mopey coz siv is going out of town :oops: … actually when jeeves goes out of town..i enjoy it for a week or even two easy..i do my lil things and totally slack off and have a ball…but by the third week..i start getting bored….coz i am itching to fight and he is a good opponent :mrgreen:

    the dish looks lovely…but seriously not for me..my mom has tried for 20 yrs for me to like it and has given up ;)…

    btw…feel better soon girl…you will i’m sure comfort food does it for you :)

    :) I am sick-sick… I miss him, but I don’t get mopey you know… ;) Hey, you can always fight over the phone, or try it over video chat, it is so much fun :D

  19. Asha on November 12th, 2007 5:36 am

    You do like Bittergourd, don’t you!:D
    Arvind likes it, I eat a little and then I can’t handle the bitterness. Looks great. Enjoy!:)

    :) I love it, but Siv is not a big fan… that is the reason I make it when he is away :)

  20. indosungod on November 12th, 2007 5:37 am

    Sig, that is one delicious pavakkai, I harvested about 20 just before the frost and generously gave them away to friends, I want to rewind the generosity :cry: wish I had kept some.

    Wow, you harvest your own pavakka! I would’ve never given it away…. Have you ever tried pavakka pickle? Its delicious :) Next time send me some, I will send you a jar of the pickle, deal? :)

  21. sia on November 12th, 2007 6:38 am

    he he… we mangaloreans are not far from u sig. we sneak coconut in almost every dish :smile:
    and sig is cooking vegetarian food and that too bitter gourd… i am impressed :(Yes): he he he… ok ok… i’ll try not to pull ur leg :sealed:

    :) The vegetable that gets cooked most often in our house is bitter gourd :) It is up there with meat for me ;)

  22. Laavanya on November 12th, 2007 8:49 am

    I love pavakkai but my husband can only stand the deep fried version of it so I hardly make it. I hope to try your recipe the next time I want to make it.. it looks good and simple too.

    Thanks Laavanya… Deep fried pavakka is pretty good too! I don’t make it at home though, too much work :)

  23. Happy Cook on November 12th, 2007 10:46 am

    Sig it looks really delicious, but bitter
    gourd :evil: i hate them
    I think that is one vegetable u love it or you hate them like brussels sprouts.
    Sig and make some Non Veg dishes, i love your non veg food :smile:

    et too happy cook! :) Okay, just substitute chicken for bitter gourd in the recipe, and I am sure that will be delicious! Yummm… I just got the idea :)

  24. Rina on November 12th, 2007 1:07 pm

    Looks delicious Sig. I love Pavakka, cooked in all forms. It is one of my fav vegie. I’ve never tried it with coconut. This will be a twist :idea: for me. Thx for the recipe.

    Thanks Rina, this twist is worth trying, and don’t forget to come back and thank me after you tried it ;)

  25. Suganya on November 12th, 2007 2:04 pm

    Its too tough to pass this up, Sig. Will definitely try this.

    Thanks Suganya, let me know how it goes :)

  26. Miri on November 12th, 2007 10:45 pm

    Sounds yummy, both me and hubby like Pavakkai so will definitely try this version…..I have found a common thread among people who like karela/pavakkai - they were usually the ones whose parents made them clean up the plate as children and there was no question of choice at the table - what was cooked was eaten. AND those parents usually loved to eat karela and didn’t even think of it being bitter etc etc. Thats my hypothesis which I currently have about 8 people to prove ;)

    Ok, that is an excellent hypothesis Raji… :) That explanation fits me to the tee… You now have 9 people to supprt the theory ;)

  27. lissie on November 13th, 2007 12:58 am

    sig, i am drooling! i like bitter gourd a lot… awesome recipe :drool:

    Thanks lissie… :)

  28. Rachna on November 13th, 2007 1:42 am

    hey sig…. i dont hate or love bittergourd….but hubby loves it…your pic makes me wanna try it anyway :) :drool:

    Hey, I don’t think I’ve seen a nuetral person when it comes to bg… it is normally love or hate :)

  29. Shantanu on November 13th, 2007 2:16 am

    Very interesting. Need to try this sometime. The other day, there was a new bitter-gourd item at home with the gravy/sauce made of peanut paste. Was actually quite good.

    That does sound very interesting… Looks like your wife (or is it you) makes some very unique dishes… any chance of publishing those?

  30. sandeepa on November 13th, 2007 7:34 am

    You do love bitter gourd, we do a crisp fry with no masala except turmeric & salt.
    This one looks good, maybe I wil try without the coconut

    There is one preparation like that in Kerala too, but with dried bitter gourd I think… So, you don’t like coconut? :shock:

  31. Deepa on November 14th, 2007 2:18 pm

    Awesome lady ….Pakka palaghat recipe ….love it …all times ..my mom makes it ..i have never tried it …will try it soon

  32. geena on January 30th, 2008 10:42 am

    Hi Sig:
    I have found your blog few weeks back and was going through the kerala recipes. I made the bittergourd fry today and it was good. I am a great fan of coconut slices in any curries. Look forward to see more kerala recipes. Thank you.

    Hi Geena, glad you enjoyed the recipe… I too love coconut slices in spicy stir fry dishes….

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