Paarkai pitlai (Bitter gourd sambar)

Lets face it, I hate bitter gourd, could never bring myself to eat it, and even now cant have more than a bite, of whatever preparation. However well it is made.
Lets also face it, my boys love it. So today I decided to make paarkai pitlai. Had a few stalks of thandu keerai, thought of throwing in that too to see how it goes.

Here is how I made it. I blindly followed my Amma's recipe (sub-junior chef that I am).

Ingredients
Bitter gourd 1 - skinned, deseeded and sliced to long pieces. Smear with salt and keep aside.
Extract of a lemon sized piece of tamarind
Sambar powder 1 and half tsp
Tur dal half cup
Asafoetida a pinch
Turmeric powder quarter tsp
Coriander seeds 2 tsp
Chana dal 1 tsp
Urad dal 1 tsp
Red chillies 2-3
Coconut scraped 2 tsp
Oil for frying and seasoning 2 tsp
Mustard seeds, Curry leaves, Red chillies for seasoning
Salt to taste

Method

1. Boil the tamarind extract with sambar powder. (I cooked the green stalks along with this).
2. Cook tur dal with turmeric powder, asafoetida and water in pressure cooker. Dal should be well cooked.
3. Cook/steam the sliced bitter gourd pieces. Discard any water that is left due to cooking.
4. Fry coriander seeds, chana dal, urad dal, red chillies, coconut in oil. Grind to fine paste.
5. Mix all the above four and bring to a boil. Adjust salt.
6. Season with the seasonings mentioned.