Thursday, December 17, 2009

Pavakka Achar/ Pickled Bitter Gourd

   I have to employ an oxymoron like wonderfully bitter or so, when explaining the taste of pickled bitter gourd.  Also, one other opposite when it comes to this veggie is that my husband  does not like it and I love it.  That's probably why they say opposites attract.  Whatever!

   Like I said, since my husband is not a big fan of this vegetable, I generally pick one or two while at the Indian store and pickle them.  This way I enjoy it for over weeks or months without having to cook small portions for myself.  It's quite boring for me to cook for myself; but once in a while, when there are things that I totally enjoy, I don't mind going that extra mile to get it done.

    This is yet another eazy peezy recipe.   I hope you enjoy it.
Pickled bittergourd
Ingredients:
Bitter Gourd - 1 Big
Sesame Oil  - 1 TBspn
Mustard      - 1/8th tspn
Garlic          - 1 pod or less as you like
Curry Leaves - 1 Spig
Green Chillies - 6 - 8 nos
Vinegar - 1/2 cup
Bittergourd
Method:
1. Slice the gourd in thin rounds or small pieces (julienne style)
2. Sprinkle salt, maybe 1/4 tspn or so, and mix well and keep it aside for some time.  (30 minutes to an hour)
3. When you are ready to cook press the gourd between your palms to squeeze out some of the juice. (You can avoid this if you don't mind the bitterness.. this process just helps to tone down the strength of the bitterness)
4. Gather all the other ingredients peeled and cleaned as necessary
5. Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard
6. Add curry leaves, chillies, garlic and saute
7. Add the gaurds now and saute till half done or golden brown to your preference.
8. Once the veggie is tempered let it cool and check for saltiness. 
9. Add the vinegar and mix well.  Check if there is enough salt after adding the vinegar and bottle
Pickled Bittergourd
Notes: 
1. You can add asafoetida and fenugreek powder ,a pinch each if you want more flavor. 
2. Always check if the pickles are well salted before bottling.  The salt should be slightly on the higher side so that once the vinegar marinates the veggies you pickle should not be only sour but get the tanginess of salt and sour together.

Contributor: Sunitha

43 comments:

  1. Achar with pavakkai....sounds very yummy n innovative dear.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very beautiful picture. I love bitter gourd~~going to try this recipe ~ Tks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. its just the opposite in my case..my huby is a big fan of pavakai but I hate this veggie..So never cook pavakkai at home.Brilliant photography :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. totally new to me dear.........lovely clicks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I loved that oxymoron :)
    But both of us love pavakka..and we have it year round in our freezer, the nadan pavakka ,light green one, which grows in my aunts backyard here..
    Excellent pics gals...

    ReplyDelete
  6. All the pics are awesome!!...love to try this!

    ReplyDelete
  7. awesome pictures...its been a while i've had bitter gourd pickle..

    ReplyDelete
  8. ur pics are wonderful as always..i dont lik pavakka..but my hubby loves it..i have 2 pavakka sitting at me and they seem to be on a pathetic condition..will try this out on them if they have some strangth left in them

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thats really interesting and nice clicks as always

    ReplyDelete
  10. Achar with pavayka..kollam.so creative.never had this before.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great clicks and a great recipe too..

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is so innovative sunitha, I have bookmarked, my hubby,MIL are great fans of pavakka.. Somehow I never dare to eat it.. But your pics made me get tempted. So wud give it a try!Thanks for sharing.:D

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am a big fan of bittergourd and hence ur pickle is inviting and attracting me towards it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. A different pickle and nice click!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Quiet a new and different pickle, never heard about this...Fantastic click!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thats an easy recipe,sounds yumm..gorgeous clicks....

    ReplyDelete
  17. never had pickels with bittergourd.. very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey nice bittergourd pickle...evn i love bittergourd...nice clicks

    ReplyDelete
  19. Nice click!!Never had pickles with bittegourd!1

    ReplyDelete
  20. I am big big fan of pavakka... love it so much ..mmmm i love pickle too.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Awesome pics da...Never tried pavakka pickle..Thanks for this great recipe :-)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Interesting recipe and a nice click. Will try it soon.

    ReplyDelete
  23. your bittergourd look interesting, never seen this kind of outer surface, good shots.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love your idea of picking this veggie!..sounds interesting and tempting :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. yes, opposites do indeed attract! In my case I don't like bitter gourd at-all while my husband loves it! This is a nice trick to pickle them though.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Amazing pictures! Great way to have bittergourd!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I've never seen this before - it looks so interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I dont like pavakka..but my hus loves it very much..This sounds easy and delicious..Superb pics dear...

    ReplyDelete
  29. Bitter gourds, don't like them but others at home enjoy its taste. Nice recipe and lovely pics.

    ...and keep smiling...

    ReplyDelete
  30. hi .. doing a very good job.. liked ur blog..I hope u l visit my blog too..

    ReplyDelete
  31. nice idea pickling it, wish I could do that for so many other food (that my husband doesn't like) :):)

    your pictures will make even the "bitter"gourd sweet :) nice recipe!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi.. nice posts.. I like ur blog.. Hope u will visit my blog too..

    ReplyDelete
  33. Pickle is sour and salty and bitter gourd is bitter. It's a nice combo of flavors and a good way of tingling taste buds in the tongue!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Lovely pics.....nice tempting pickle as well.

    ReplyDelete
  35. wow, I didn't even know what a gourd was until I read this! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Lovely photo's. Never heard of it being used in acchar.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Beautiful clicks, my Mom makes a salad with the small variety which you get in India but never tried with this. Should try out.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Luv those clicks..and this is such a different achar..worth to try..

    ReplyDelete
  39. I love pavakka although it is bitter... I feel that it has a very unique flavor, but your pickle sounds tempting :-). How long does this stay good?

    ReplyDelete
  40. thanks so much for this! I am also the only one in my household who likes bitter gourd, but I don't like cooking just for me, so I only make it a few times a year. i will try this next weekend.

    ReplyDelete

We are glad you visited us and welcome your valued opinion.