Bitter Gourd Mor-Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd/Bitter Melon 4-6 sliced
Yogurts 4 cups
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Oil few spoons.

Wet Grind these to a Thick Paste:

Pepper 1-2 spoons
Green chilies 5
Thoor dal 1 cup
Tomato 1
Ginger 3-4 inch size. peeled.
Garlic 4 -5 cloves

For Tempering:

Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Urad dal 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Dry red chilies 3
Curry leaves few
Oil few spoons
Oil for shallow frying.

Method:
Wash and clean bitter gourd. Pat dry them. Trim their ends off. Slice them to thin rings.Heat oil, in a shallow pan. Fry few bitter gourd till crisp and dark. Leave over kitchen tissues for a while. Repeat the same for remaining vegetable too.
Heat a deep heavy bottomed vssel. Add oil and wet ground paste to it. Fry them till they loose their raw smell.
Further add asafoetida, salt, turmeric and yogurts. Mix them well. Let them come to 1-2 boil.
Now stir-in fried bitter gourd and bring it to boil as well.
In a separate pan, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, red chilies, pepper and curry leaves. Fry for a while...till they pop and splutter. Now run this seasoning over the gravy made above.
Serve warm along with plain steam cooked rice.