Sweet and sour bitter gourd

This preparation is very common in Andhra Pradesh villages where they are to use farm fresh gur (jaggery) in everyday cuisine. Simple to make and also comes out tasty.

Ingredients:

500g tender bitter gourd, 3tbsp tamarind pulp, 3 tbsp jaggery

For tempering:

 2 tsp oi, ½ tsp urad dal, ¼ tsp mustard seeds, 2 red chillis, 2 twigs curry leaves, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric powder) and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut bitter gourd into thin round slices.
2. Boil water in a deep vessel, put 1 tsp salt and put the vegetable and boil for another few minutes. Note: You need to put only that much water required for the vegetable to cook so that the nutrients remain intact and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and put urad dal, mustard seeds, red chillis. 
4. Once the mustard starts spluttering, put curry leaves and bitter gourd. 
5. After frying a little, add haldi powder, tamarind pulp, gur and salt. 

Cook till soft and serve hot with rice.

Raw vegetable banana sweet and sour curry

This preparation is the simplest of this vegetable and comes out very tasty with very little effort.

Ingredients:

4 raw bananas, 2 tbsp tamarind pulp, 1 tsp urad dal, ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 2 twigs curry leaves, 1 pinch hing (asafoetida), 2 tbsp gur (jaggery) 2 red chillis, ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric), ½ tsp red chilli powder and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel and cut vegetable into even sized cubes. 
2. Heat oil in a pan, put urad dal, jeera, mustard, red chillis, and fry till golden brown, after this add curry leaves, hing, the cut vegetable and salt and place the lid. 
3. Once the vegetable becomes a little soft put haldi , chilli powder, tamarind pulp and jaggery  and cook till soft and done.

Serve hot with rice.

Pulihora

This is predominantly a south Indian delicacy. Puli in tamil means tamarind, hence it is also called tamarind rice. This is one of the prasadam varieties made at Tirupati Balaji Temple. It has a typical taste of its ingredients and is generally made during special occasions like festivals and marriages.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups raw rice (small grain),125g seedless tamarind, 100g oil, 2tsp Bengal gram dal, 2tsp black gram dal, 2 tbsp ground nuts/ cashew nuts 1 tsp mustard seeds, 5 red chillis, 5 green chillis, 2 twigs kadi patta(curry leaves) ¼ tsp hing(asafoetida),1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric powder) and salt to taste.

Preparation:

Soak tamarind in a cup of water to get pulp out of it.
Boil the rice with enough water so that rice grains remain separate and non-sticky and allow it to cool.
Heat oil in a pan, add the pulses, nuts, red chillis, mustard seeds and hing (asafoetida).
Keep stirring and once mustard starts spluttering add green chillis, kadi patta, tamarind pulp, haldi and salt.
Cook this on slow flame and the indication for it is done is when the gravy leaves oil and also it should not get burnt at the bottom hence it needs stirring in between.
Once the gravy is ready mix it well with a ladle into the rice.

This can be served plain or with curds and kurkure bhindi.