Hagalakai / bitter gourd menasukaayi

By looking at the name, do not come to conclusion that it will be only hot. No.. It is mixture of hot, sweet, salt and sour ...yes !!! a very yummy dish of South Canara district of karnataka without which one feels like meals is incomplete in any function.
This dish can be prepared not only using Bitter gourd but also Capsicum/Pineapple/unripened Mango. I have selected Bitter gourd.

1. Chopped Bitter gourd.

2. Menasukaayi !!!

Ingredients
Chopped Bitter gourd (Remove seeds) - 2 cups
Urad dal - 3 spoon
White sesame/Ellu/Thil - 3 spoon
Red chilly - 2 ( If chilly is not so hot, you can increase the quantity of chilly)
Coconut oil - 2 spoon ( Can use refined oil. But coconut oil adds aroma to the dish)
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Tamarind juice - 1/2 cup (Medium concentration)
Grated jaggery - 1/2 cup (Instead of grating, can put jaggery piece equivalent to this quantity)
Salt
Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
Curry leaves - 8 to 10

Method
1. Cook Bitter gourd along with salt, Tamarind juice and Jaggery.

2. Heat 1 spoon oil in a pan, roast Urad dal, Sesame until color changes slightly (Be careful!! Sesame seeds pops out while roasting). Put red chilly pieces and fry for a second. Turn off the flame.

3. When it cools down, add it to grated coconut and grind with little water to get fine thick paste. Do not add too much of water.

4. Add this paste to cooked Bitter gourd, mix well and heat it until you see bubbles in it. Stir occasionally while heating.

5. Heat 1 spoon of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves, when it splutters, put this on to   boiled Bitter gourd mixture.

Menasukaayi is ready !!! Goes very well with rice/Chapathi.