Pavakkai Varuval | Bitter gourd Stir fry | Accompaniment for rice

Bitter gourd stir fry / Pavakkai varuval , is the simple and healthy side dish for rice.There was a time, i dont even touch pavakkai, but now, after knowing about the health benefits of this veggie, i started to include in my diet atleast twice in a month. Now even i started to like the bitterness in this veggie.
This stir fry contains lot of onions and it gives mild sweetness to the dish. The bitterness from the bitter gourd and the mild sweetness from the onion makes this dish very tasty.In this recipe, i haven't remove the seeds from the bitter gourd, but if you wish, you can remove those seeds, it will help to reduce the bitterness, also soaking the sliced bitter gourd in butter milk helps to reduce the bitterness.

Pavakkai Varuval

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Side Dish | Recipe Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients
Pavakkai/Bitter gourd - 3 gives 11/4 cup sliced
Onion - 1 medium size
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seed - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Procedure

First slice the bitter gourd in to thin slices and onions into thin slices. Heat the pan with oil, add the mustard, let it splutter, then add cumin seed and let it crackle.Now add onions and curry leaves,saute till it becomes slightly brown and then add bitter gourd.Add the spices (turmeric,red chili & sambar powder) and salt. Give a good mix.Cover the pan with lid and cook the bitter gourd , in between open the lid and stir the bitter gourd to avoid burning at the bottom.Once the bitter gourd is cooked, switch off the flame and transfer to other dish.Tasty Pavakkai Varuval is ready.Notes:

• Sauteing the onions till it becomes brown is very important and it gives mild sweetness to the dish.
• If possible, use non stick pan, it helps to avoid burning easily.
• If the bitter gourd sticks to the pan, add 1 or 2 tsp of extra oil.