Bittergourd/Pavakkai Pitlai

Hi guys!!!!!!!
                     After a long time sitting here to write recipes based on pitlais...
                     Generally, bitter gourd pitlai (pavakkai pitlai) is very famous through south Indians...
                     Let's start the recipe now.

Ingredients:
                  Bitter gourd ( smaller ones/midhi pavakkai) - 1/2 kg
                  New Tamarind                                               - a small ball
                  Salt                                                                 - 1 tsp
                  Urad dhal                                                       - 3/4 tsp
                  Mustard seeds                                                - 1 tsp
                  Red chillies                                                    - 2
                  Asafoetida, Curry patta, Coriander leaves     - little
                  Cooked Toor dhal                                          - 4 tbsps
                 
   To make a paste:
                             Coriander seeds - 11/2 tsps.
                             Chana dhal        - 1 tsp
                             Urad dhal         - 3/4 tsp
                             Red chillies      - 6
                             Shredded coconut - little
              Fry all the ingredients till it turns red in little oil. After cooling down, make a little coarse powder and keep it aside.

Preparation:
                  Let's start with the cooking of bitter gourd first.
  
    Cooking bitter gourd:

1. Mix the bitter gourd with little tamarind paste and keep it aside for sometime.
2. After it dries, clean it with water.
3. Keep a kadai on the stove and put the cleaned bitter gourds.
4. Add little salt and turmeric powder along with water.
5. Cook till all the vegetables become soft.
6. Add a little jiggery and cook it in sim mode till all the water evaporates.
7. Keep the cooked bitter gourd.

    Pitlai:

•  Keep a kadai on the stove.
•  Add the cooked bitter gourd.
• Next, add the tamarind juice prepared from the remaining tamarind.
• When the raw smell of the tamarind leaves, add cooked toor dhal to the mixture.
• After cooking sometime, add the powder prepared specially for this.
• Again cook till all the ingredients mixes well.
• Add a little rice powder (mixed in water) to the mixture.
• Cook it for another 10 minutes and then remove it from heat.
• Add sprigs of kari patta.
• Fry mustard seeds with urad dhal in little oil and add to the mixture.
• Finally, add asafoetida to the mixture.
• Hot pitlai is ready for serving.

This can be served instead of sambhar with rice.