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Athalakkai Poriyal / Stir Fry

Athalakkai looks very similar to tender bitter gourds both in shape and colour. T hose who haven't seen this vegetable bef ore will think that it is a f orm of tender bitter gourd. But its not so. It has mild bitter taste, dark greenish in colour and tapioca pearls like seeds. T hough this vegetable grows in most of the southern districts in Tamilnadu, still this vegetable is not very popular among local people because of its unavailability in market. It is a kind of vegetable which is available only during rainy and winter season(between October and January). During this period they grow without the need f or cultivation and then dry af ter January. T he tuber root(Kilangu) stay alive in the soil till next season and grows by itself using the water which is being passed to other cultivated plants. Athalakkai - Tamil Momordica Cymbalaria - botanical name Kaasara Kaaya - Telugu

Kaasara Kaaya - Telugu Karsikayi - Kannada Kattupaval - Malayalam (From Wiki) Using athalakkai, We prepare stir f ry (poriyal), gravy (pulikulambu), pickle and f or making vathal (dried athalakkai). I have also heard people making thogayal using it. T he f resh athalakkai seed will burst if you pluck it f rom the plant and keep it f or a long time in room temperature. So, whenever you buy athalakkai, immediately prepare any gravy or stir f ry it or prepare vadam to avoid bursting and wasting it. My grandma used to say it grows well in black soil (karisal land). Hence it is harvested more in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. She also used to say it is very good f or diabetes and to prevent gastrointestinal problems.

Basic Information: Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes Serves: 3 Ingredients:

Athalakkai - 250grams Small Onions / Shallots - 1/2 cup, f inely sliced Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon Sambar masala - 1 teaspoon Salt - to taste Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon Oil - 3 teaspoons Curry leaves - 1 string Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoons Asaf oetida - a pinch

Method: 1) Cut both the ends/corners of the athalakkai using hands and wash it well it water two or three times. Keep it aside. 2) Take a f rying pan / kadai. Heat 3 teaspoons of oil in it. 3) When the oil is hot and not smoking, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. It will splutter. 4) Add asaf oetida and onion.

5) Saute it till the onion becomes sof t and translucent but not brown. Add a pinch of salt f or quick cooking of onions. 6) Add the washed athalakkai now. Sprinkle a handf ul of water. Turn the f lame to low and cover the f rying pan with lid. Let it cook f or 5-7 minutes on the low f lame. 7) Af ter 7 minutes. remove lid and add red chilli powder, sambar masala, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well and continue cooking till the raw smell of masala goes of f . It will again take another 5 minutes.

8) Check the athalakkai whether it is cooked or not. T he skin will turn into sof t once cooked. Turn the f lame of f . 9) Serve it with hot steamed rice.

Notes: 1) Af ter cooking athalakkai, though the skin turns sof t, the seeds give a crunchy taste. 2) It tastes slightly bitter like bitter gourd. So try adding more onion (if you like) and prepare a stir f ry. By this way you can reduce the bitterness to some extent. Experimented under: Athalakkai,Indian,South Indian,Starters and Sides