Pavakkai Pitlai

5 from 1 vote

Pavakkai Pitlai, also known as Bitter Gourd Black-Eyed Peas Sambar, is a traditional and authentic South Indian sambar variety made with vegetables and legumes.

Prep Time45

Cook Time30

Total Time1 15

Course: Main Course, rice accompaniment

Cuisine: South Indian, TamilNadu

Keyword: black eyed peas sambar, pavakkai pitlai, pavakkai pitlai recipe

Servings:

Calories: 153kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Ingredients

To pressure cook

2 bittergourds approx 120 grams
½ cup cowpeas soaked overnight
½ cup toor dal
3 cups water divided
¼ tsp turmeric powder divided
¼ tsp oil

To roast and grind

1 tsp oil neutral or peanut oil
¼ cup coriander seeds
3 tbsp chana dal
5 dried red chilies 3 regular and 2 Kashmiri variety
2 tsps urad dal
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
¼ cup coconut grated
½ cup water

To temper

1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
⅛ tsp asafoetida
10 curry leaves

Other ingredients for pitlai

1 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tsp salt
1 tsp jaggery
¾ cup water
½ coconut oil
2 to 3 tbsp cilantro chopped

Instructions

Trim the edges and cut them lengthwise using a spoon, or if the bitter gourd is tender, you can scoop out the seeds using your fingers, too. Discard the inner flesh and seeds and chop the bitter gourd into small pieces.
Soak the cowpeas overnight and discard the water.
Pressure cooking toor dal, bitter gourd, and cowpeas. I have used my stove-top pressure cooker to steam the vegetables and dal. I used my pressure cooker stackable vessels. I added bitter gourd and cowpeas with 1 cup of water and a pinch of turmeric in one stack.
I added ½ cup of rinsed toor dal, 2 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric powder, and a small amount of oil in another stack. Oil helps to get mushy toor dal, which has become habitual. Pressure cook for three whistles.
Heat a pan, add a tsp of oil, and when it is hot, add ¼ cup of coriander seeds and 3 tbsps of chana dal, and mix well.
Then, add five dried red chilies. I have used three normal red chilies and two Kashmiri chili varieties to get the color. But that's optional. You can use either one variety.
Next, add the urad dal and fenugreek seeds and roast until the lentils turn light brown and a nice aroma wafts up.
Finally, mix the coconut well and turn off the heat. Let it cool.
Once the spices are cooled, grind it with ½ cup of water.
Once the pressure has been released from the pressure cooker, remove the inserts and mash the toor dal.
To the bitter gourd and cowpeas mix, add 1 tbsp of tamarind paste and mix well. You don't need to discard any water used for cooking the bitter gourd.
Heat the pan and add 1 tbsp of oil. When it is hot, temper 1 tsp of mustard seeds, ½ tsp fenugreek seeds, and ⅛ tsp of asafoetida. Add a few curry leaves, let the mustard seeds splutter, and the fenugreek seeds change color. Then, carefully mix the cooked bitter gourd and cowpeas with tamarind paste.
Add two tsps of salt and mix well. Let this mixture come to a boil.
Now add the ground paste and mix well. Rinse the mixture jar with ½ cup of water and add that. Mix well without any lumps.
Reduce the heat and bring this mix to a gentle boil. I usually cover the pan with the lid to avoid the splashes around.
The pitlai mix will slowly thicken up. Now we can add the mashed toor dal. Add ¼ more cup of water and mix well. Pitlai is comparatively thicker than regular sambar. Add 1 tsp of jaggery and mix well.
Let it come to one gentle simmer and add a handful of cilantro, and then comes my secret ingredient - coconut oil. I add ½ tbsp of coconut oil, which adds amazing flavor to the pitlai.

Video

Notes

Adding a pinch of jaggery helps to balance the sweetness. It's the same principle as adding a pinch of salt to sweets. This amount of jaggery is not going to make your pitlai sweet.
Instead of bitter gourd, you can use cluster beans or brinjal to make the pitlai.
Similarly, you can use black chickpeas or any other legumes you choose instead of cowpeas.
I have used two dried red chili varieties. You can use either one. And as always, adjust spices to taste.

Nutrition