After the marination the bittergourd would have oozed out water. Rinse the pieces well with enough water and drain completely. Next heat oil and roast the drained slices till they turn crisp. It may take around 10 minutes.
When the bitter gourd is getting roasted, heat a pan adding sesame seeds. Dry roast them till they splutter and transfer the seeds to a plate. Next add oil, lentils, red chilly, fenugreek seeds followed by curry leaves to the pan. Roast them together till the lentils turn brown. Switch off once done.
Add grated coconut to the same pan. Coconut gets warmed up with the heat of pan. Grind all the roasted ingredients along with sesame seeds to fine paste. Add water as needed.
Next squeeze tamarind water and add it to the roasted bitter gourd slices from step 1. Add jaggery followed by salt and let the bitter gourd cook.
As the bittergourd gets cooked, the jaggery makes syrup like consistency. Next add ground paste and water, bring this to boil. Switch off as it's done.
Bittergourd gojju/menaskai is ready to serve. With all the tastes blended harmoniously, it is amazingly delicious.
