Bitter gourd Kayirasa / Bitter gourd curry / Hagalakayi kayirasa

Bitter gourd (Hagala kayi / ಹಾಗಲಕಾಯಿ) is one of my favorite vegetable. Here is the bitter gourd kayirasa recipe with simple masala.

This dish takes me back to the memory lane of Shivamogga hostel life (20+ years ago...). We start realizing the value of home cooked food when we stay in hostels.. My mother used to cook this yummy recipe and send it often with me to cherish for next two or three days.

Recipe courtesy - Late. Rathnavathi Hiriyamma (Amma learnt from her).

Ingredients
Bitter gourd - 1/2 kg
Coconut - 1/2 medium sized
Coriander seeds - 4 spoons
Red chillies - 8 to 10
Tamarind - 1 medium lemon sized
Jaggery - 4 to 5 spoons
Salt to taste

For tempering
Oil - 4 spoons
Bengal gram dal - 2 spoons
Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
Curry leaves - 8 to 10

Method
Wash and chop the bitter gourd into fine pieces (please remove the inner soft portion including seeds).

Heat a thick bottomed kadai. Pour the oil. When oil gets heated up, add begal gram dal and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds starts spattering, add curry leaves. Now add chopped bitter gourd. Add some water, salt and cook the same by closing the lid.

Meantime, grate the coconut. Grind coconut, coriander seeds, red chillies along with tamarind water. Please note - coriander seeds and red chillies should not be roasted.

In another vessel, make the jaggery syrup using jaggery powder and a spoon of water. Syrup should be thin thread consistency. Alternatively we can add jaggery while grinding masala. But syrup method will save some cooking time.

Add this masala to the Kadai with cooked bitter gourd. Add jaggery syrup as well and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Keep on stirring. More time we cook, tastier it is and will stay for longer time.

You can serve this with rice, chapati etc.