Karela Pachadi ((Bitter Gourd in Coconut and Curd Gravy)

My best friend, Sandhya Mantha has always been a great inspiration to me.  She used to work with me at R Systems and now has shifted to Secunderabad with her family. She is the one who motivated and encouraged me to do something that I like.  Through thick and thin she has always been of great support!

I remember, it was her last day at office, and I was almost crying like a baby  when we bid good bye.  She hugged me and said I will always be available on phone wherever I am... You will not miss me at all :)... Yes we both ensure that we speak often to each other.  Whenever she comes to meet her parents in Pune, she will ensure that she spends a day with me.

She was the one who was very happy when I started my blog... She had called me last week and wanted a recipe of Karela Sabji (Bitter gourd sabzi) for her son Sai.  I did tell her how to make the Karela Pachadi... but I know she has definitely forgotten it :).  I am posting this post specially for her.

All my other viewers and followers can also benefit from this post.  This is a very common dish that is prepared in Kerala during the festival of Vishu.  I learnt this from my mother and I made this for lunch today and Sandhya was in my thoughts when I was making this dish!

This can be eaten with Roti / as a side dish with Rice... The bitterness of Karela vanishes due to the rich coconut gravy added to the fried Karela and addition of  sour curd.

Ingredients :

Fresh light  green Karela (Bitter Gourd) washed and finely chopped  - 1 large

Grated fresh coconut - 1/2 cup

Green Chillies - 2 to 3

Mustard Seeds - 1/4th tsp

Sour Curd - 1/4th cup

Curry leaves - 1 string

Salt to taste

Oil, Mustard seeds, red chillies & Curry leaves for tempering

Oil - 1 tbsp

Method :

Wash the Karela and finely chop it to pieces.  Add salt to this and squeeze out the water from the vegetable.. Heat a Kadai and fry the Karela in 1 tbsp oil till golden brown.  Transfer this to a bowl.  In a mixer grind, Grated fresh coconut - 1/2 cup &

Green Chillies to a fine paste.  Now add 1/4th tsp to this paste and grind once again.  Add the ground coconut to fried karela.  Mix well.  Add the sour curd and enough salt and mix well.  Now temper Mustard seeds, red chillies & Curry leaves in very little oil and pour in this Pachadi.  So now you can enjoy  bitter gourd, bitter- less :)!!

Note : Make this 1 hour prior to serving lunch and the curd & coconut paste gets soaked in the vegetable to give you that lovely flavour.