Pavakkai - Chick Peas Dhaal

Enjoyed this pavakkai recipe from an Aunt from India who visited us recently. More pictures...Pavakka Chick Peas Dhaal
Recipe:
* Soak handful chick peas overnight, pressure cook with handful of toor dhaal, half salt and turmeric.
* Chop into small cubes - pavakkai(bitter gourd) - add to little tamarind water, boil 2 mins and remove the water.
* Add oil to tava, add little seasoning with big jeera or small jeera, curry leaves.
* Add diced onions, tomatoes and then after few mins add the pavakkai, saute for few mins.
* Add sambaar powder, salt and tamarind water, boil for few mins.
* Add the cooked dhaal and chick peas and boil for few mins. Serve hot!
Was yummy with rice/dosas/idlis.

Sweet Mango Pickle

Though both of us not into pickles...this is one of my fav pickles. Pickle sounds like a herculean task, that was one reason I wanted to challenge myself to try it out. Then I realized it is not a big deal. This was very easy and all the ingredients are available in the US too :-) More pictures..SweetMangoPickle
Original Recipe:
* 8 cups - diced Mangoes (hard ripe..like we use for our salads), Salt - less than half cup
* Mix Mango and salt and soak it overnight
* Next day filter the water from it and save the water in fridge.
* Dry the mango in a foil sheet for 1 or 2 days. (preferably in Sun)
* Dry fry these and powder them : Jeera - 1/4 cup, Mustard - 1/4 cup, Methi seeds - 1 spoon
* Add  Chilli powder - 1/4 cup to the above powders.
* Add 3 cups water to 1.25cups grated Jaggery , melt and filter.
* Add jaggery water to salt water from fridge and boil for 5 minutes
* Add all powders to above water with no lumps and keep stirring
* Boil in another vessel : Idhayam oil - 3/4 cup and then add it to the above water.
* Boil for 5mins and then add mango and boil 2mins, then turn off.
* Close the container with cloth and let it soak and cool down.

Note: It takes 20+ days to fully soak, so U just stir in once in 3 days or so.
Keeping it in sun wasnt required. If U want, U can save it in fridge after a month or so.
I used 2 large Mexican Mangoes which was upto 5cups, so I reduced the other ingredients accordingly.
FYI, stove time is hardly 15minutes!