Paarikyaai Poolikootakari (Bitter Gourd Side Dish) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 teaspoons oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon Urad Dal (split skinned black gram)
250 g bitter melons, remove seeds and cut into rings (karela)
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
salt
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp, soaked in 1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon sambhar powder or 1 teaspoon curry powder
1 1 teaspoon palm sugar or 1 teaspoon raw sugar (I suppose you could try this with regular white sugar as well)

Preparation

Head oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add mustard seeds and urad dal.
When the mustard starts to sputter, add the sliced gourd, turmeric powder and salt and saute on a low flame for about 10 minutes.
Add the water that the tamarind was soaked in, sambar powder (or curry powder) and jaggery.
Cover and cook on a low flame for about 10 minutes; then check if the karela has been cooked; if not, add an additional 1/4 cup water, cover and cook until all the water has been absorbed.
Remove from flame and serve hot with rice and sambar, or chappatis.