Pavakkai Podi Recipe for Rice & Idli | Bitter Gourd Chutney Powder | Kakarakaya Podi

Bitter Gourd Chutney powder is a traditional side dish for idli and dosa from the region of Andhra Pradesh. In Telugu, we call it kakarakaya podi.

This bitter gourd chutney powder is spicy, tangy, sour, and sweet. All the flavors will burst in your mouth in each bite. Bitter gourd is a rich source of vitamins and minerals. It contains twice the calcium of spinach and beta-carotene of broccoli. Various antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds are present in bitter gourd. It also helps in lowering bad cholesterol levels, thus reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. That’s not all. It strengthens the immune system, improves respiratory health, boosts skin health, and contains anti-aging properties. (Source: Hindustantimes)

Bitter gourd is good for diabetics, as it contains anti-diabetic properties. Bitter gourd can be used for weight loss too. Bitter gourd can be consumed in many ways such as juice, chutney, curry, pickle, paratha, smoothie, soup, chips, and many more. Today we are going to see how to make the chutney podi for rice, idli, and dosa.

Pavakkai Podi Recipe for Rice & Idli | Bitter Gourd Chutney Powder | Kakarakaya Podi

Print Recipe

Healthy bitter gourd chutney powder for rice, idli, and dosa.

• CourseSide dish
• CuisineSouth Indian

Servings	Prep Time
1 cup	15 min

Cook Time

15 min

Servings Prep Time 1 cup 15 min

Cook Time 15 min

Pavakkai Podi Recipe for Rice & Idli | Bitter Gourd Chutney Powder | Kakarakaya Podi Print Recipe Healthy bitter gourd chutney powder for rice, idli, and dosa. CourseSide dish CuisineSouth Indian Servings Prep Time 1 cup 15 min Cook Time 15 min Servings Prep Time 1 cup 15 min Cook Time 15 min

Ingredients

• 1 small Bitter Gourd/Pavakkai thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp Chana dal/kadalai paruppu
• 2 tbsp Urad Dal/Uluttam Paruppu
• 2 tbsp Coriander seeds/Vara Kothamalli
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds/Jeera
• 1 Tamarind small gooseberry size
• 5 Garlic pods
• 1/4 tbsp Sesame seed/Ellu
• 1 strand Curry Leaves/Karuveppilai
• 5 Dry Red Chili
• 1 tsp Jaggery
• salt to taste
• 1 cup oil to deep fry

Servings: cup

Instructions

1. Wash the bitter gourd thoroughly. Cut it into a very thin slice. Remove the seeds and set them aside.
2. Heat a pan and add chana dal, urad dal, coriander seeds. Saute until it turns slightly golden brown. Then add cumin seeds, sesame seeds and saute until it splutters.
3. Now add garlic pods, tamarind, curry leaves, and saute for a min. Then add dry red chili and saute until it puffs up. Now transfer this to a plate and let it cool completely.
4. Deep fry the thinly sliced bitter gourd in oil until it turns crispy. Remove it on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil. Let this cool for a min.
5. Place the fried bitter gourd into the mixer jar and pulse it for 20 seconds. To this add the roasted dals, salt to taste and grind it to a coarse powder. At last, add jaggery powder and give it a mix.
6. Spicy, tangy, sour, and sweet bitter gourd chutney powder is ready. You can mix this in hot rice with a dollop of ghee and enjoy. You can have this with idli and dosa.

Recipe Notes

• You can either deep fry the bitter gourd as I did or you can grate the bitter gourd, add a little salt and leave it for 15 mins. Squeeze the bitter gourd for excess water and you can roast it in a tsp of oil for about 12-15 mins until it turns golden brown.
• If you don't eat garlic, you can skip it.
• Do not skip tamarind and jaggery as it gives a nice taste to the chutney powder.
• Keep the chutney powder coarse. Do not make it to a smooth powder.

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Spicy, tangy, sour, and sweet bitter gourd chutney powder is ready to relish.

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