Hagalakai Palya

Ingredients:

3 medium sized Bitter gourd / Hagalakai

Pinch of Turmeric

Small lemon sized Tamarind

3 lemon sized Jaggary

1 tsp chilly powder

2-3 Curry leaves

4 tsp grated Coconut

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Blackgram seeds

1 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Add tamarind and 1/2 cup of water in a bowl, smash it and keep it aside.

Cut bitter guard into two pieces and remove the seeds. Chop bitter gourd into long thin pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put chopped bitter gourd in a thick bottomed vessel. Add 3/4 th of water, bring it to boil and drain the water. Do this step 2 or 3 times, so that bitterness of the bitter guard goes off.

Add jaggary, salt, tamrind water, pinch of turmaric powder, chilly powder, water and cook them well.

Once it is cooked, keep the palya in medium flame for around 45 mins. Keep stirring the palya once in 5 mins. Once the water content is almost dried, add grated coconut and mix well. Keep the palya in low flame for about 10-15 mins.

Add mustard seeds, blackgram seeds and oil in a pan. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and add it to Palya. Mix well before serving. It goes well with Rice.