Sorakaya Kurma

Bottle gourd or Sorakaya as it is called in telugu is a vegetable I am very indifferent to. For the most part, I thought I hated it…. but as my namesake said in this post, I actually meant I don’t like it….i always thought it was an insipid vegetable and despite its size and all, had little to offer of itself in any dish. So while I would eat it in a sambhar or vegetable side dish, I won’t really miss it if I didn’t have it for months….amma on the other hand, likes it quite a bit. She does the cooking for dinner when she stays with me, and she made this a few days ago. When I unlocked the front door, the aromas that greeted me, were mouthwatering to say the least…..

The masalas are typical of what would go into making a meat dish. In Andhra, cooking mutton with vegetables is common, and sorakaya cooked with Mutton is much sought after. The flavours of the rich gravy blend very well with the vegetable and make it a great accompaniment with rotis or a mildly flavoured rice such as pulav.

Sorakaya Kurma

2 c sorakaya/ bottlegourd/doodhi skinned and white seed part removed, cut into 1 inch cubes

3-4 T chopped onion

1 t ginger garlic paste

Salt to taste

A few curry leaves

2 T oil

½ t cumin seeds

¼ t turmeric

½ T coriander powder

To be ground to a smooth paste with 2 T water:

3 T fresh coconut

1 ½ t cumin seeds

½ t black pepper corns

1 green chilly

½ t red chilly powder 

In a pressure pan or a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil, splutter the cumin and add the onions, fry till translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the ground coconut masala and fry till it turns golden, this tends to stick to the pan, so stirring is required. Add the cubed sorakaya pieces, coriander powder, turmeric, red chilly powder and stir to coat everything well. Add ½ c water, salt and cover and cook under pressure for 1 whistle. If using an open pan, cover and cook for about 7-8 minutes till the vegetable is tender but not overcooked.

Open when the pressure has been released. Check for salt/seasonings, add the curry leaves and simmer a couple of minutes till it comes together in a nice thick but not runny gravy. Serve hot with rotis or mildly flavored rice (pulav).