Pavakkai Poriyal Recipe, Bitter Gourd Stir-Fry Recipe – Recipe for Pavakkai Poriyal made with the addition of coconut. South Indian Tamil style recipe. Excellent side dish had along with rice.
This pavakkai poriyal / bitter-gourd stir-fry has to be one of the hands-down simple yet best recipes I have learnt from my in-laws place. My in-laws had a cook called Naacha. She came to them at a tender age of 8. She was like a right hand lady to my husband’s grandmother Sinthayamma. Naacha left us (she is in her 80’s now) / retired after Vinodh’s grandmother passed away a few years back. She is a riot of a character and I loved her food a lot. Carefully trained by Vinodh’s grandmother, her dishes were always simple but super high on flavour. Her bitter-gourd stir fry was never bitter but so flavorful and addictive. It’s one of my favorite dishes. She always cooked the stir-fry with lots of garlic, shallots and coconut. Another thing was that she boiled the bitter gourd first with some water and then used the boiled bitter gourd to cook the stir-fry. She would discard the water saying “kasappu ellam thannila poyirumunga”… meaning all the bitterness will go away in the water. When I am making at home, I serve the water as a soup with a pinch of salt added (call it as shots – I drink it in one gulp as no one slurps on bitter-gourd water soup). She always, always cooked with Indian shallots and onions were never a substitute for her. When I have time, I cook with shallots or else, I make it with regular onions and it still tastes great.
Here is a picture of Naacha holding my son when he was a baby.
Here are other Pavakkai Recipes / Bitter gourd recipes from the site. Bitter Gourd / Pavakkai Recipes Here is how to do Pavakkai Poriyal Recipe, Bitter Gourd Stir-Fry Recipe
Here is the video of how to make Pavakkai Poriyal Recipe, Bitter Gourd Stir-Fry Recipe
Here is how to make Pavakkai Poriyal Recipe, Bitter Gourd Stir-Fry Recipe Wash the bitter gourd and clean them. Cut off both the ends. Remove the white part that holds the seeds of the bittergourd. If the bitter gourd has slightly ripened, the insides will be pink and slimy. Just scoop the seeds with a spoon and discard. Proceed with the recipe.
Chop them into small pieces. Boil the bitter gourd with half a cup of water in a pressure cooker. Cook for just one whistle. Wait for the pressure in the cooker to settle naturally. Drain the water and set aside. You can serve the water as a soup. The water will be very bitter so drink it in one shot as its very healthy. Do not discard.
Heat peanut oil in a pan (I prefer non-stick pan for making this dish) and add in the chana dal and urad dal. Saute for a few seconds. Add in the mustard seeds and dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the finely chopped onions, curry leaves and garlic. The roasted garlic adds a nice flavour to the dish.
Saute the onions for a minute. Add in the turmeric powder, salt and the kuzhambu milagai thool. “Kuzhambu milagai thool” is a curry powder used in Tamil households and can be sourced from a south Indian grocery store. If you don’t have “kuzhambu milagai thool”, use store bought Tamil style sambar powder. Even curry powder works well.
Add in the drained pavakkai / bittergourd.
Saute for a good 10-15 minutes on a low flame. Low flame is key for the veggies to get roasted and take on a golden colour. While the veggies are getting roasted, add in a pinch of sugar.
Keep sauteing till the onions and garlic have charred a bit and the bitter-gourd has shrunk and is roasted well and brown in colour. Everything in the pan should be well roasted and golden.
Now add in the fresh shredded coconut and mix well to combine.
Bitter gourd stir-fry / pavakkai poriyal is ready. Serve hot with rice.
Ingredients for making Pavakkai Poriyal / Bitter-Gourd Stir Fry Recipe
250 grams bitter gourd (about two bitter gourds)
2 tablespoon peanut oil / vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chana dal
1/2 tablespoon split white urad dal
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 dried red chillies
1 cup finely chopped onions
10 cloves garlic
2 sprigs curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Kuzhambu milagai thool (or) sambar powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup fresh shredded coconut
Wash the bitter gourd and clean them. Remove the white part that holds the seeds of the bittergourd. Chop them into small pieces. Boil the bitter gourd with half a cup of water in a pressure cooker. Cook for just one whistle. Wait for the pressure in the cooker to settle naturally. Drain the water and set aside. You can serve the water as a soup. The water will be very bitter so drink it in one shot as its very healthy. Do not discard.
Heat peanut oil in a pan (I prefer non-stick pan for making this dish) and add in the chana dal and urad dal. Saute for a few seconds. Add in the mustard seeds and dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the finely chopped onions, curry leaves and garlic. The roasted garlic adds a nice flavour to the dish.
Saute the onions for a minute. Add in the turmeric powder, salt and the kuzhambu milagai thool. “Kuzhambu milagai thool” is a curry powder used in Tamil households and can be sourced from a south Indian grocery store. If you don’t have “kuzhambu milagai thool”, use store bought Tamil style sambar powder for this recipe. Curry powder can also be used.
Add in the drained pavakkai / bittergourd.
Saute for a good 10-15 minutes on a low flame. Low flame is key for the veggies to get roasted and take on a golden colour. While the veggies are getting roasted, add in a pinch of sugar.
Keep sauteing till the onions and garlic have charred a bit and the bitter-gourd has shrunk and is roasted well and brown in colour. Everything in the pan should be well roasted and golden.
Now add in the fresh shredded coconut and mix well to combine. Bitter gourd stir-fry / pavakkai poriyal is ready. Serve hot with rice.
Author: Suguna Vinodh
Prep Time: 5m
Cook Time: 20m
Ingredients for making Pavakkai Poriyal / Bitter-Gourd Stir Fry Recipe
250 grams bitter gourd (about two bitter gourds)
2 tablespoon peanut oil / vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chana dal
1/2 tablespoon split white urad dal
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 dried red chillies
1 cup finely chopped onions
10 cloves garlic
2 sprigs curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Kuzhambu milagai thool (or) sambar powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup fresh shredded coconut
Wash the bitter gourd and clean them. Remove the white part that holds the seeds of the bittergourd. Chop them into small pieces. Boil the bitter gourd with half a cup of water in a pressure cooker. Cook for just one whistle. Wait for the pressure in the cooker to settle naturally. Drain the water and set aside. You can serve the water as a soup. The water will be very bitter so drink it in one shot as its very healthy. Do not discard.
Heat peanut oil in a pan (I prefer non-stick pan for making this dish) and add in the chana dal and urad dal. Saute for a few seconds. Add in the mustard seeds and dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the finely chopped onions, curry leaves and garlic. The roasted garlic adds a nice flavour to the dish.
Saute the onions for a minute. Add in the turmeric powder, salt and the kuzhambu milagai thool. “Kuzhambu milagai thool” is a curry powder used in Tamil households and can be sourced from a south Indian grocery store. If you don’t have “kuzhambu milagai thool”, use store bought Tamil style sambar powder for this recipe. Curry powder can also be used.
Add in the drained pavakkai / bittergourd.
Saute for a good 10-15 minutes on a low flame. Low flame is key for the veggies to get roasted and take on a golden colour. While the veggies are getting roasted, add in a pinch of sugar.
Keep sauteing till the onions and garlic have charred a bit and the bitter-gourd has shrunk and is roasted well and brown in colour. Everything in the pan should be well roasted and golden.
Now add in the fresh shredded coconut and mix well to combine. Bitter gourd stir-fry / pavakkai poriyal is ready. Serve hot with rice.
Author: Suguna Vinodh
Prep Time: 5m
Cook Time: 20m
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/pavakkai-poriyal-recipe/
Curry Laksa Soup Recipe – Vegan / Vegetarian version. Malaysian veggie Curry laksa made using homemade curry laksa paste from scratch. Curry laksa soup made with lots of vegetables, herbs and spices in a rich coconut milk based broth.
This is an easy Vegan and Gluten free version of the Malaysian curry laksa soup. The spice paste or the Rempah as its called is the single important ingredient that can make or break this dish. Traditionally the Rempah / spice paste is made with fresh turmeric. I did not have fresh turmeric at home. So I have used dried turmeric powder. If you can get hold of fresh turmeric, go for it. This soup is very comforting and deliciously spicy. A lot of anti-inflammatory ingredients like shallots, garlic, ginger, basil is used in good doses making it a win-win. Once you have made the spice paste, you can refrigerate or freeze it and make the laksa whenever required. This is a very desi version of curry laksa using ingredients that are easily available here. This recipe makes a big batch of soup. I like to make a big batch and refrigerate as we like Asian style coconut milk based soups a lot at home and we can never have enough. This recipe makes about six servings of soup. At home, we are three of us. Me, my husband and son. So we have this soup over two meals.
Here are other Asian inspired recipes from the site.
Here is the video of how to make Malaysian curry laksa soup – the vegan version
Here is how to make Malaysian curry laksa soup – the vegan version There are a lot of ingredients in this recipe. So get your mise en place ready before you begin so you do not forget anything and cooking is smooth.
First we will make the spice paste / Rempah Take all the ingredients found under spice paste and grind it to a fine puree. I have used what I could find in my pantry. You can always add or minus an ingredient if you cannot find it. Additionally you can add a little galangal and a few Kaffir lime leaves if you can find. They add an amazing aroma to the soup. Also, instead of cashew nuts, macadamia nuts can be used. Traditionally candle nuts are used for making curry laksa.
The soup Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add in the halved mushrooms. Add in quarter teaspoon each of salt and red chilli flakes. Saute on a low medium flame till the mushrooms are nice and golden. Make sure not to crowd the mushrooms and cook until its really taken the color. The flavour of nicely roasted mushrooms is divine.
In the same pan add in a couple of tablespoon of oil and add in the curry leaves. Let the curry leaves crackle. Add in the spice paste.
Do not cook the spice paste on a high heat. Cook on a medium heat until the spice paste is dry and the oil starts releasing from the paste. Its very important to cook the curry paste well. The final flavour of the soup will depend on how well the spice paste is cooked.
Once the curry paste is cooked and dry, add in the salt, soy sauce, stock cube, palm sugar, spring onions, basil and mint leaves. If you do not have palm sugar, you can use jaggery, brown sugar or even plain sugar. Here is the brand of veggie stock cube I buy online. The stock cube adds a lot of flavour in Asian style soups. One can also use the “maggi magic masala” that is available these days in Indian grocery stores. Both the products are very similar. Use whatever you can get hold of.
Saute the spices and herbs for a minute. Add in 1.5 cups (350 ml) of plain water. Let it come to a boil.
Add in the veggies. Cut the veggies at an angle so aesthetically it looks good. The choice of veggies is purely yours. Use whatever you have in your fridge. I have used carrots, beans, baby corn and green peas today. You can also use Broccoli, Asparagus, Spinach, Corn, etc..
Add in 1.5 cups (350 ml) of plain water. Let it come to a boil. Let the veggies cook for 3-4 minutes. We need the veggies to retain their crunch. So do not boil for long. The texture of veggies is very important in the soup.
Add in 400 ml of canned coconut milk and the lime juice. Let it simmer just for a couple of minutes.
Add in the red and green capsicum. After adding the capsicum, switch off the flame immediately. Continuing to cook will make the capsicum lose their crunch and will become soggy. The hot soup / residual heat will cook the capsicum just enough.
Our Laksa Soup is done. Cover the soup and keep. Meanwhile, we will fix the other ingredients.
The rice noodles for Malaysian curry laksa soup – the vegan version Cook the rice noodles / vermicelli according to the package instructions. I usually put my noodles in hot water for 3-4 minutes and they are good to go. Here are the brands of rice noodles that I really like that you can buy online. Vietnamese style rice noodles Thai style rice noodles
Drain the noodles in a colander and set aside.
The toppings for Malaysian curry laksa soup – the vegan version Here is what you will need. Make sure to deseed the cucumber and then cut into strips. I have also used roasted peanuts. Get the other herbs and veggies ready.
Assembling the Malaysian curry laksa soup – the vegan version Take a soup bowl and add in the rice noodles. Add in a good amount of soup along with the veggies. Make sure that the rice noodles is totally drowned in the soup. Finish it off by adding all the toppings. Do not forget the sauteed mushrooms. Serve hot immediately. Slurp and enjoy!
For the Spice Paste
4 dried red chillies soaked in hot water for 20 minutes 5 - 6 Shallots 6 cloves garlic 2 inch piece ginger one stalk lemon grass 2 fresh red chillies 15 cashews 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder 1 teaspoon coriander powder 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 2 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/3 cup water 3 sprigs fresh coriander
For Sauteed Mushrooms
1 teaspoon vegetable oil 200 grams button mushrooms, halved 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes
Other Ingredients
2 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 sprigs curry leaves 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoon palm sugar or jaggery 1 veg stock cube 2 spring onions, chopped 10 basil leaves, finely chopped 10 mint leaves, finely chopped 1/2 cup beans 1/2 cup carrots 1/2 cup baby corn 1/4 cup fresh / frozen green peas 400 ml canned coconut milk 2 tablespoon lime juice
Toppings and Noodles
1 pack rice noodles ( 200 grams ) 2 cucumber, deseeded and cut into strips few coriander leaves few mint leaves few chopped spring onions (green part) chopped red chillies 3 tablespoon roasted peanuts
First we will make the spice paste / Rempah
Take all the ingredients found under spice paste and grind it to a fine puree. I have used what I could find in my pantry. You can always add or minus an ingredient if you cannot find it. Additionally you can add a little galangal and a few Kaffir lime leaves if you can find. They add an amazing aroma to the soup. Also, instead of cashew nuts, macadamia nuts can be used. Traditionally candle nuts are used for making curry laksa.
The soup
- Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add in the halved mushrooms. Add in quarter teaspoon each of salt and red chilli flakes. Saute on a low medium flame till the mushrooms are nice and golden. Make sure not to crowd the mushrooms and cook until its really taken the color. The flavour of nicely roasted mushrooms is divine.
- In the same pan add in a couple of tablespoon of oil and add in the curry leaves. Let the curry leaves crackle. Add in the spice paste.
- Do not cook the spice paste on a high heat. Cook on a medium heat until the spice paste is dry and the oil starts releasing from the paste. Its very important to cook the curry paste well. The final flavour of the soup will depend on how well the spice paste is cooked.
- Once the curry paste is cooked and dry, add in the salt, soy sauce, stock cube, palm sugar, spring onions, basil and mint leaves. Saute the spices and herbs for a minute. Add in 1.5 cups (350 ml) of plain water. Let it come to a boil.
- Add in the veggies. Cut the veggies at an angle so aesthetically it looks good. The choice of veggies is purely yours. Use whatever you have in your fridge. I have used carrots, beans, baby corn and green peas today. You can also use Broccoli, Asparagus, Spinach, Corn, etc..
- Add in 1.5 cups (350 ml) of plain water. Let it come to a boil. Let the veggies cook for 3-4 minutes. We need the veggies to retain their crunch. So do not boil for long. The texture of veggies is very important in the soup.
- Add in 400 ml of canned coconut milk and the lime juice. Let it simmer just for a couple of minutes.
- Add in the red and green capsicum. After adding the capsicum, switch off the flame immediately. Continuing to cook will make the capsicum lose their crunch and will become soggy. The hot soup / residual heat will cook the capsicum just enough. Our Laksa Soup is done. Cover the soup and keep. Meanwhile, we will fix the other ingredients.
The rice noodles for Malaysian curry laksa soup – the vegan version
Cook the rice noodles / vermicelli according to the package instructions. I usually put my noodles in hot water for 3-4 minutes and they are good to go. Read the package instructions as each brand is different. Drain the noodles in a colander and set aside.
The toppings for Malaysian curry laksa soup – the vegan version
Get all the toppings ready. Make sure to deseed the cucumber and then cut into strips. I have also used roasted peanuts. Get the other herbs and veggies ready.
Assembling the Malaysian curry laksa soup – the vegan version
Take a soup bowl and add in the rice noodles. Add in a good amount of soup along with the veggies. Make sure that the rice noodles is totally drowned in the soup. Finish it off by adding all the toppings. Do not forget the sauteed mushrooms. Slurp and enjoy!
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 50m
