Bitter Gourd Fry (Pavakkai Fry)

Pavakkai Fry / Bitter Gourd Fry

This is a very simple recipe for bitter gourd fry which is a favorite in our house. This is one of the dishes which is almost finished before it comes to the table. My kid loves it and does not even wait for me to drain the oil in the paper towel. She calls it pavakkai chips and loves it very much.

Ingredients

• Bitter Gourd - 4
• Chilli Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Turmeric Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/2 teaspoon ( or as per taste)
• Oil - As required for shallow fry

Preparation:

• Wash and cut the bitter gourd lengthwise into two. Remove the seeds and slice them very thinly.
• Mix the bitter gourd pieces with chili powder , salt and turmeric powder.
• Mix it well and keep it for about 15 minutes.
• Heat a pan and add 2 tablespoons of oil.
• ONce the oil heats well, lower the flame and shallow fry the bitter gourd in batches.
• Do not crowd the pan with lot of pieces. Let it fry completely. Once it fries, it reduces in size and changes to brown in color.
• There is only a thin line between perfectly fried and burnt. So take care and make sure you don't burn them.
• The pavakkai fry is perfect to eat with any rice item like sambhar rice, rasam rice, curd rice etc.

Note:
You can refrigerate the pavakkai mixture for few days in an airtight box and fry it whenever you need them.
If you desire, you can blanch the bitter gourd in boiling water with some salt and turmeric powder before adding the spices.This will reduce the bitterness to some extent.