Bitter Gourd Curry | Haagalkayi Gojju

This is a Karnataka cuisine which I learnt from my friend Nivedita. 'Haagalkayi' means bitter gourd in Kannada and 'gojju' means curry. This is a coconut based gravy with a burst of different flavors: tanginess, sweet, spicy and no doubt bitter. This dish tastes best when eaten with hot rice and ghee.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Bitter Gourd - 2 medium sized
2. Urad dal - 1 tablespoon
3. Chana dal - 1 tablespoon
4. Sesame seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Coconut grated - handful
6. Garlic cloves - 2
7. Curry leaves - few
8. Jaggery grated - 1 teaspoon
9. Tamarind pulp - 1/2 cup
10. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
11. Sambar powder(any brand) - 1/4 teaspoon
12. Oil - 1 tablespoon
13. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Dry roast urad dal, chana dal and sesame seeds till they turn light brown in color. Keep them aside and dry roast coconut, garlic cloves and curry leaves for 5-7 minutes. Allow the dals and coconut mixture to cool down. Grind them along with sambar powder into a fine paste by adding little water. Keep the ground paste aside.

2. In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add finely chopped bitter gourd. Fry for around 15 minutes on medium flame until they turn brown and crisp.

3. Add red chilli powder, grated jaggery, tamarind pulp and ground paste. Mix well and add salt to taste.

4. Let it cook for 5 minutes and then turn off the flame.

Bitter Gourd curry is ready to serve.