Pavakkai Pitlai Recipe

Last Updated On: Oct 18, 2026 by Aarthi

Pavakkai Pitlai Recipe also known as bitter gourd pitlai is a South Indian vegetarian dish made with bitter gourd, toor dal, spices, tamarind and jaggery. This is a sweet, spicy and sour dish which taste super delicious with hot rice and rasam. You can enjoy with roti or curd rice too.

Can you believe that this is the first bitter gourd recipe in this blog. I am getting so many request from my viewers to post bitter gourd recipe. So here I am sharing my mom’s special recipe.

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Bitter gourd is one of the vegetable which retain its bitterness even after it is cooked. But this dish doesn’t even have a little bitterness in it. I don’t know how it happened, may be it is because of cooking it in a pressure cooker or because of the jaggery and tamarind. But you have to trust me in this. So here you go to the recipe.

About Bitter Gourd Pitlai

Pavakkai pitlai also known as bitter gourd pitlai. Whether you love or hate bitter gourd, this is one dish which I strongly recommend you to try. This is one dish which makes you love bitter gourd even more. You have to check my pavakkai chips.

The combination of onions, bitter gourd, spice powders, dal, tamarind paste and jaggery. Some how makes the curry so yummy. You will never taste the bitter from the pavakkai and it makes you crave for more.

This is my Amma’s recipe and she has few tips to make this pitlai perfectly. First important step is to saute onions and bitter gourd really well. It enhances the taste and also removes the bitter taste from the bitter gourd.

The amount of tamarind and jaggery totally depends on your taste preference. Taste and adjust. She uses a combination of coriander powder, chilli and turmeric. You can use sambar powder instead of these.

Coconut in the tempering is very important, roast till golden brown for flavour. Enjoy bitter gourd pitlai with rice, rasam and curd.

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Step by Step Pictures

Sauteing bitter gourd

1)Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a kadai. Add in sliced onions and sliced bitter gourd.

2)Saute these two for atleast 5 minutes until it is wilted. This reduces the bitter taste from the bitter gourd.

Pressure cook dal with bitter gourd

3)Now in a pressure cooker. Take washed toor dal and add some water.

4)Add the sauted onions and bitter gourd into the dal.

5)Place it on heat. Cover and pressure cook for 2 whistle. Simmer the flame for 5 minutes and take it off the heat. Let the steam release by itself.

6)Open the cooker. Now the dal will be cooked and also the bitter gourd will be cooked.

Boil pitlai

7)Now transfer the cooked dal, bitter gourd and onions into the kadai. Add in tamarind pulp as per your taste.

8)Add salt to taste.

9)You need to add a good amount of jaggery for this pitlai. Taste and adjust the tamarind, salt and jaggery at this point.

10)Now add in chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. You can use sambar powder instead of chilli and coriander powder.

11)Mix this really well and cook all of it together for 5 to 8 minutes.

12)Meanwhile the mixture will get thick and all the spice powders will be cooked.

Make Tempering

13)Heat coconut oil in a kadai. Add in mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Let them splatter.

14)Add in grated coconut.

15)Stir fry the coconut until it gets golden brown in colour.

Make Pitlai

16)Pour this tempering into the pitlai and mix well.

17)let this simmer for 2 minutes and take it off the heat.

18)Serve with rice and rasam.

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