Bittergourd Pickle

Chop Bitter gourd into small pieces and steam it in cooker with a bit of salt and 1/2 tsp Turmeric for 1 whistle. Turn off the gas and keep it aside.

Soak seedless tamarind in 150-175 ml of warm water and keep it aside. Now put it in the blender to get a tangy puree. Pass it through the sieve to remove any strings left.

Heat oil in a deep bottom pan and add all the tempering ingredients. Once Mustard seeds splutter, add the collected tamarind puree and jaggery. Remember to break the jaggery into small pieces before adding it. This will speedy up the process.

Once the jaggery melts and blends in the tamarind puree add the cooked bitter gourd pieces. Add chilli powder, remaining turmeric powder & salt along with 1.5 cups of water.

Cook the whole mixture on low flame until you get a jelly like consistency. Stir at regular intervals in order to avoid the mixture sticking to the pan. Turn of the gas and keep it aside to cool down.

Saute all the ingredients mentioned under 'Powder' until they turn light brown and then grind them to coarse consistency. Add this powder to the mixture prepared above and stir well.

Transfer this pickle to an airtight container and keep it refrigerated. Use as desired.